[hider=Hattori Kaoru]

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[b]NAME:[/b] Hattori Kauro

[b]GENDER:[/b]Male

[b]APPEARANCE:[/b]
About 5'10 and just average built. He doesn't particularly follow fashion much but picks out what at least looks good on him and is the most comfortable. He does love his hoodies though. When he is working on his stories, he keeps his hair tied back and he wears glasses when he reads books.

[b]PERSONALITY:[/b]
On the surface, Kaoru is an incredibly charming and charismatic young man. Social, intelligent, and confident he presents himself as someone who has everything put together and yet remains humble. He follows the latest trends, keeps up with the latest celebrity gossip, and so on. Kauro is the very model of a popular, cheerful social butterfly that will typically say yes to every invite for a social event. He does his very best to present to present himself as the best version of himself, but the real Kaoru though is not this, however. 

The reality is that he finds it all exhausting. He doesn't care about most trends, celebrity gossip, and is exhausted from the constant social interactions he makes within his current social circle. The actual Kaoru is someone that is filled with anxiety and negative thoughts and likes to have a quiet time to himself though that is obviously something he keeps a secret. He vehemently does his best to keep it all under wraps, including his own childhood so people don't realize just how broken he is though that means he doesn't have anyone to talk to about his issues. 

However, one of his defining traits is his love of reading and storytelling, especially mystery and horror though given that it contradicts his bright, refreshing persona he keeps the love of those genres to himself. Kaoru finds great pleasure in problem solving, finding the hints and details that others overlook. He loves a good puzzle, whether it's a physical one or something like an ARG.
 

[b]SKILLS:[/b]
[list]
[*]Detective: Kauro is a very perceptive, intelligent young man, often taking note of things that others do not such as when certain facts do not line up or if something is out of place.
[*]English: His love of literature was so great that Kauro actually learned English so he could read most western books in their original language. 
[*]Writing: He is actually a talented writer that goes under the pseudonym Ligeia and posts his stories online with great success though he keeps it a secret from others due to his anxiety and how it may damage his persona.
[/list]

[b]EQUIPMENT:[/b]
[list]
[*]Pen
[*]Notebook
[*]Smart Phone
[*]Dagger
[/list]

[b]ECHO:[/b]
[list]
[*]Name: Nevermore
[*]Appearance:
A strange, unnerving humanoid being. Nevermore stands at 8 feet (2.4384 meters) tall though it is always slouched, making it appear shorter than it actually is. Its body and its limbs seemed to resemble long, gangly black tree branches despite the fact that they have a texture of wrought iron. Those same branches make up its torso to form something that resembles ribs. Protruding from its back are those black, iron branches except they are sparsely covered feathers made from the same material to create something that looks like wings. Its head is humanoid save for a raven-like beak and also has the same black coloration as the rest of its body and its mostly featureless save for when it opens its mouth to reveal its human teeth and long, sharp tongue.

[*]Abilities:
Darkness: It is not darkness in the traditional sense, but more of the "gravity of darkness." The darkness that Nevermore generates manipulates gravity within its reach. This darkness can be used in wide swathes or can be shaped into attacks such as spheres or beams of heavy gravity. Nevermore, despite its wings, cannot fly so it uses its darkness to simulate flight. However, at the moment it is quite taxing on his body, so it is not something that can be used in quick succession.
Limb Extension: Nevermore can extend and retract its limbs. Can use its limbs for long range attacks and such.
Branch Generation: Nevermore can create more branch-like limbs from its body that can be used for a variety of purposes, such as wrapping new limbs around its already existing limbs to make a heavier attack, increase defense, a flurry of attacks, and so on.


[/list]

[b]BRIEF BACKSTORY:[/b]
Kaoru's story isn't that unusual. His father knocked up his mother in a one-night stand and were wed out wedlock though by the time he was five years old, Kauro's mother walked out on them. His father was an abusive alcoholic with no prospects of getting a proper job and essentially made his son's life a living hell. Kauro's only solace were the books he'd be able to get from the library and the late-night movies when his father was passed out from a drunken stupor. 

This went on until he was thirteen, when it all came to a head. One night his father became exceptionally drunk after losing his janitorial job and was violent. He blamed his son for everything, that he was the starting point where things went wrong. Kauro locked himself in his room as his father kept pounding his door and screamed at him to "open the fuck up," eventually breaking the door down where things escalated even more. The boy felt his father's hands around his neck and as he saw the last bit of light fade, his father collapsed. In a twist of fate, his father's pancreas burst from pre-existing conditions worsened by excessive alcohol consumption and stress. His father did not survive and Kauro was taken in by his father's sister's family and transferred schools. 

For all its worth, his life did improve after that. His sister had long tried to get custody over Kauro, but the courts ruled in his father's favor and his father did not want to let him go due to the welfare checks he was getting that were meant to be used for his son. So, in her custody he had actually a healthy life for the first time ever, but the damage was done. Kauro acted like he was fine, putting on an act that made him popular with others around him, but in reality, it was a coping mechanism and an unhealthy one at that. The only thing that he was truly passionate about were the books he read and eventually began to write his own stories at the encouragement of his aunt and post them online. 

That is how Kauro lived the last three years of his life when he heard a rumor called Strange Gospel. He thought that the Strange Gospel was just an ARG and tried as he might, he could not find a lead. Kaoru had given up though fate had something else in store for him. He was working on a story when he received a message from his father containing a link to Strange Gospel and against all reason, he clicked the link and saw a video of the future. It was just a mundane news clip about a traffic accident on the local news and just like the rumors said, he saw it on TV later.

He was fascinated. It was one thing to be in a book or an ARG, but it was real. Again, he sought for it though this time it had found him when he received a text notification from his deceased father. He saw the video. Shadows over the moon, a black tower, a man with a white mask. The mystery had taken a turn and now things have gotten worse. Students are disappearing and now there were rumors of a man in a trench coat. Every nerve in his body told him not to get involved though the detective in him could not help, but to be thrilled at the prospect of a real paranormal case. Everything led back to Strange Gospel.

[/hider]