[center][h1][color=008B8B][i][u]Athena Volkov[/u][/i][/color][/h1][/center]

[center][img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/bd/23/33/bd23331b493f5e17b48bd0d570ee5a21.jpg[/img]

[sup]“[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK3TROzVRiE]Fix You[/url] & [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjPyvoLXPs4]Jesus Christ[/url]“[/sup]
[sup]Thirty-two | Date of Birth: 5th of November | 5’8” | First Class.[/sup][/center]
 
[indent][sub][color=008B8B]A P P E A R A N C E.[/color][/sub][hr][/indent][indent][indent]

Athena exhumes a natural beauty though she pays her appearance little mind. She never cared for the beautifying makeup that those who could afford them caked themselves with. Those with the Archadian militia had little time for such luxuries. She walks tall with bold confidence and has scars from her time within the militia. Her hair is often kept in a tight albeit messy bun. On very rare occasions will she wear it down.

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[indent][sub][color=008B8B]P S Y C H E.[/color][/sub][hr][/indent][indent][indent]

[sub][i]“Lights will guide you home. And ignite your bones. And I will try to fix you ...”[/i]
Coldplay, Fix You[/sub]

Life is precious. Sick or healthy. Poor or wealthy. Deserving or undeserving.

Life is precious. However, those who do harm, to prevent further harm, must be harmed.

Words that her father made creed when she was a little girl, all life holds worth though not all can be saved. Growing up in the tundras of Archadia, Athena witnessed at a young age the trials underwent by the militia and the people living far from the safety of the cities. Her father’s clinic, meager compared to Nibelheim's most modest clinics, was often filled with militia and towns people alike. 

Hailed as an accomplished healer, SOLDIERs under her care hold her in high regard. She cares deeply for her comrades, for not only have they all undergone the same agonizing process of becoming a SOLDIER, but their lives outside of being a SOLDIER were erased forever. From this shared experience, a camaraderie, stronger than what she witnessed among the militia, formed. They are her new family. Those who would do harm onto her family would suffer. Preserving life is but one side of her repertoire. Corrupting it occupied the other.

Fortunately for her, Athena and her aeon are of like mind. Both have a natural inclination to healing. However, while Athena tries desperately to save those that come under her care, her aeon understands the flip side of mercy. As such, there are times where she resists the aeons control of granting death when it's impossible to save an individual. Though, like any SOLDIER, she can only control herself so much.

Politics and religion are moot points to Athena. Religion was something that people came up with to rationalize what they can’t control while politics is reserved for those that are privy to it. Though a contradiction, she’s a soldier as she is a healer. Her role within the grand machine is clear to her. She cares little for religion’s answers and leaves politics to those who prefer talk to action.

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[indent][sub][color=008B8B]B A C K G R O U N D.[/color][/sub][hr][/indent][indent][indent]

[sub][i]“Well, Jesus Christ, I’m not scared to die. I’m a little bit scared of what comes after…”[/i]
Brand New, Jesus Christ[/sub]

Athena grew up in the village of Trost in the northern tundras of Archadia. Assailed by harsh winters, mother nature commanded her respect. Anything less would be mean death. 

Growing up with only her father and brother, Athena was barely old enough to remember the passing of her mother. Powerless to save her then, she took up the healer’s oath and studied under her father at the clinic when she was of age. She turned no one away even though they hadn’t the funds to pay for treatment. Her father scolded her and continued to teach her that the world was not kind to those charitable enough to expect nothing in return. 

Perhaps due to being youthful or craving something more than the white walls of the clinic, Athena joined the militia as a combat medic. Stationed at the Trost garrison, her time in the militia slowly changed the idealistic ‘save all you can’ girl into a ‘save who you can’ woman. Killing was never her favorite solution, but after committing the act many times, she became desensitized to the killing. It became as second nature as breathing. 

Being so far north, bandits were a common scourge on villages that resided far from the great cities of Archadia. While she preferred duties of safeguarding life, utilizing science, she created a poison to save militia lives. No matter the rationale, when her creation debuted, she crossed a point of no return. Her father never intended his lessons about poisons to be used as weapons; however, Athena concocted vile toxins that subjugated the enemies of the militia using said lessons. The lucky ones died in the first few seconds of exposure. Those unlucky drew breath until a militia member could finally put the suffering to rest. Athena made sure she was there to administer the mercy. She would see her work through. She would never speak of this to her family. In life or in death. It would’ve broken her father’s heart no matter the logic. 

Word of her deeds circulated beyond the Trost garrison. With her brother starving during a famine that took Trost while her father was bedridden from sickness, a man approached her. Promising her that her family would be relocated to the cities and be taken care of, she had only but to say yes to a proposition poorly explained to her. Desperate to save the anchor to a life she could scarcely remember, she accepted the stranger’s proposition. Extinguished from the world, the proposition was her recruitment into SOLDIER. 

Though she promised herself to dismiss her cruel ways of dealing death to another human being, she was once again thrust into a world where cruelty was needed. Where her methodology was common place. Specifically, the means to the end were acceptable as long as the end was reached. Her fellow SOLDIERs respect her due to her rank and reputation, but to her, that’s all petty excuses to rationalize the weapon she’d become. 

As long as her family was cared for, she could live with her atrocities. An unspoken penance to her father for the vile uses she carried out using his knowledge imparted to her.

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[indent][sub][color=008B8B]R E G A I L I A.[/color][/sub][hr][/indent][indent][indent]

[sub][i]“And at the gates, does Thomas ask to see my hands?”[/i][/sub]

Usually close to the front, Athena prefers armor that can shake off typical rounds but remains light enough to traverse from place to place. She carries a bag containing medical compounds, supplies, and poisons for the deeds she must do when the powers granted from Ascephea were inappropriate. She has great respect for modern day medicine. However, as per tradition of healers from her village, the old medical practices are something she keeps herself trained to do. Athena also has a rebreather due to her constant exposure to her toxins. 

Though she would rather save than kill, to protect her comrades and herself, she will strike at those that would mean harm. She carries a burst fire assault rifle. The model nearly identical to what militia members used back in Archadia; however, modifications were made to give it more stopping power. The round chamber also underwent modifications for her specialized bullets, bullets laced with a medicinal concoction that makes it harder to breath upon exposure to the misty vapor. These modified bullets seldom ever pierce a target's skin unless its point blank. Instead of the traditional gun powder encapsulated by a metallic shell, these bullets are made from a material that shatter on impact like glass. Upon shattering, the contents will have similar effect to ammonia or gas used to crowd control. The contents have a short lifespan out of concern for advancing into the contaminated zone. These bullets are meant as a means to allow friendly forces to advance and remove the hostile. Due to the delicate nature of these bullets, Athena does not carry many on hand. Large concentrated doses, though dissipating quickly, can be deadly. 

She abhors biological weapons, but her deadlier affinities have their uses. If close quarters is called for, Athena keeps her militia combat knife on hand. However, close quarters is something she avoids whenever possible.

Blending her varied duties as a SOLDIER and a former militia member, Athena prioritizes healing instead of fighting. However, when needed, she takes the support role rather than assaulting directly. Indeed, she prefers to breakdown the constitution of an enemy rather than be the main aggressor. 

Due to Ascephea’s nature, Athena walks a fine line between doing no harm and ending life quickly due to not wanting to prolong one’s suffering. Because of her newly spliced body, Athena resists the urge to kill a patient when they’re vulnerable while also striving to keep to the ways of the healer as she was with her father and with the militia.
 
[indent][indent][sub]Ambrosi [Protection, Life, Instinct]

It is said that the nectar of the gods is the sweetest taste to ever touch the lips of any mortal. Supposedly the nectar provides onto the user longetivity, health, and immortality. Though not accomplishing anything so grand, Ascephea has granted Athena the ability to cast a spell that heal and heightens the senses of an individual to be more responsive to external stimuli and react quicker. However, the spell can only be cast on one at a time. Mass healing will result only in minor healing. 
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[indent][indent][indent][sub]Rapture[Life, Protection, Peace]

The old religions speak of an event where believers in a god will shake off death to join him in celebration of immeasurable happiness. Though unable to raise the dead, those nearly at their limit will ignore pain temporarily as a calm flows through them. There would be no worry. No fear. Hope would fill their souls as they fight onwards toward their objective. If they should fall within the duration of this spell, they shall fall in bliss rather than agony. 

Even with the boons granted above, this spell remains dangerous and used sparingly by Athena. Because her allies would have no concept of pain, they may pass on with non being the wiser. She will seldom use this on Second Classes and almost never for Third Classes. She’ll break this rule of thumb only if ordered to do so by a superior or if the situation is truly dire. 

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[indent][indent][indent][sub]Pestilence [Predatory, Instinct, Savage]

Regardless of how strong the tallest man stands, all are powerless before the spirits of disease, sickness, and plague. Illustrating the ‘mercy’ that Ascephea delivers to those where death would be the kindess, Individuals succumb to fever, sapping of strength, and the inability to carry out rational thought. This spell can be enacted on a crowd or an individual. If used on a crowd, said crowd will most likely feel a dampened version of this spell. If used on one individual, depending on how much energy Athena pours into the spell, it is enough to cripple the most hardened of warriors.

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[indent][sub][color=008B8B]A E O N.[/color][/sub][hr][/indent][indent][indent][sub]Ascephea White/Green [Protection, Morality, Life, Instinct][/sub]

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[sub][i]“So do you think that we could work out a sign. So I'll know it's you and that it's over so I won't even try ...”[/i][/sub]

Theorists and scholars alike postulate that Ascephea’s origins trace back to the far islands of Cressia. Though feminine only where the masquerade like face mask rests upon her face, her body is shrouded in a flawless white robe embroidered with elegant curves of golden patterned lines. While what of her body can be seen looks humanoid, calling it truly humanoid is an erroneous statement.

Of her origin, scholars believe that Ascephea was a patron of health and vigor. She would answer prayers to those who prayed for their health or for those praying for a loved one on the verge of death. However, it is believed that she granted death, if it was the greater mercy. However, her true origins are but speculations of mortals describing beings transcending mortality. 

For the most part, Ascephea and Athena have a very strong bond. Given the near matching demeanor qualities of both, their strengths complement each other. However, unlike herself, Athena doesn’t share her view of death perhaps being the better cure. Quite prevalent in their relationship, discord arises primarily from this quality.

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[indent][sub][color=008B8B]C O R E.[/color][/sub][hr][/indent][indent][indent]

[sup]Medic[/sup][/indent][/indent]
 
[indent][sub][color=008B8B]O V E R D R I V E.[/color][/sub][hr][/indent][indent][indent]

[sub][i]“And I will die all alone. And when I arrive I won't know anyone…” [/i][/sub]

[h2][i][b]Elysia[/b][/i][/h2]

The ultimate boon shared between Ascephea and Athena, in the most dire of situation, a last resort, Athena takes in the agony of nearby wounded and dying and unleashes a wave of light. Foes feel nothing while allies she can visibly see, feel, and hear, receive a period of invulnerability. Able to perform feats of legends, those who are touched by this spell become something akin to valkyries bringing those fortunate - or unfortunate - to the next life. There is no weariness or fatigue within the affected souls.

Whatever attacks assail them during this period or fatigue they feel, Athena takes it all. As the law of nature demands it, whatever is given must be paid for. Equivalent exchange. Athena is the payment. The spell continues until Athena can no longer sustain concentration or Ascephea forcefully ends the overdrive. Though the aeon longs to show her splendour to the world forever, Athena is her vessel. End Athena’s life, and she would return to her long slumber until another comes along. Ascephea does not want that, so she'll step in if Athena's life is nearly forfeit due to this power. 
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