Aelius is an imperator of the Thalassai Legions, based in Chronasis. He leads the legions alongside Hadrian and Marcellus. He has red hair and uses fire and resonance. Heat radiates from his body, and his essence surpasses that of Thalassai's archons other than Thalena.
Thalena treats him affectionately, ruffling his hair despite his objections to being treated as a boy. After darkness creatures appeared in the southern islands, she instructed him to prepare the legions using ancient records of the beasts and Jin Leiyun's updates. Aelius passed her instructions to Hadrian and Marcellus and subsequently led forces south.
Aelius is an imperator of the Thalassai Legions, based in Chronasis. He is Thalena's adopted son and Zephyra's brother. He trains the legions' mages and fought in the defense of Chronasis against the forces of Ozaith.
Appearance
Aelius has red hair and red eyes and wears a red tunic with golden bracers. Heat radiates from his body, and his eyes brighten when he channels magic.
Magic
He fights with fire, plasma, and resonance. He casts plasma bolts, coats his fists and feet in plasma, and releases resonance waves to disrupt gravity spells. He also uses fire to propel himself through the air. In his duel with Marcellus, his heat melted the arena's stone, and a final arc of plasma won him the fight.
History
Thalena adopted Aelius and Zephyra and raised them in Stella Aeterna. As a boy, Aelius repeatedly challenged her to duels. His defeats did not stop him from returning for another attempt. He also learned from Lunorax.
Thalena encouraged him to join the legions, believing they would suit his excess energy. He won several Celestial Games, helping him rise through the ranks. As an imperator, he leads the legions alongside Hadrian and Marcellus.
After darkness creatures appeared in the southern islands, Aelius passed Thalena's instructions to the other imperators and led forces south. He later put Cassian and Arinella through grueling duels to prepare them to defend Chronasis.
Thalena lent Aelius an essence core containing Pyrathalor's essence, which Cyrena and Deylin had prepared. Aelius wore it on a chain, and Silas carried him and Arinella into position through the void. Aelius's opening attack killed half the approaching strike force before he confronted Ozaryn.
Ozaryn severed one of his arms and later a leg. Arinella restored both while Silas replenished Aelius's essence. Aelius continued attacking, breaking Ozaryn's gravity spells with resonance and driving her back with plasma. He later passed Pyrathalor's core to Cassian on Thalena's orders during the battle with Ozaith.
After the fighting, Aelius supported Cassian's appointment as archon of time. Under Cassian's leadership, he continued training the strongest mages in the legions.
Relationships
- Thalena: Thalena is his adoptive mother and teacher. She raised him with Zephyra, trained him through repeated duels, and later entrusted him with Pyrathalor's essence core for the defense of Chronasis.
- Zephyra: Zephyra is his sister through their adoption by Thalena. They grew up together in Stella Aeterna.
- Cassian and Arinella: Cassian and Arinella trained under him before the attack on Chronasis. Arinella later healed him during his fight with Ozaryn. Aelius supported Cassian's appointment as archon of time and continued serving under him.
Aelius is a former imperator of the Thalassai Legions and a member of the Order of Thalion Zenith. Known as Ignatius in the past, he helps Thalion command its forces against Malverand. He is Thalena's adopted son and Zephyra's brother.
Appearance
Aelius has red hair and red eyes. His eyes brighten when he channels magic, and heat radiates from his body. In Thalassai, he wore a red tunic and golden bracers.
Magic
He casts plasma bolts and beams, coats his fists and feet in plasma, and uses resonance waves to disrupt gravity spells. He propels himself through the air with fire and air magic.
History
Thalassai
Thalena adopted Aelius and Zephyra and raised them in Stella Aeterna. As a boy, Aelius repeatedly challenged her to duels and continued despite his defeats. He also learned from Lunorax. Thalena encouraged him to join the legions, and victories in several Celestial Games helped him rise through their ranks.
As an imperator, Aelius led the legions alongside Hadrian and Marcellus. After darkness creatures appeared in the southern islands, he passed Thalena's instructions to the other imperators and led forces south. He later put Cassian and Arinella through grueling duels to prepare them to defend Chronasis.
Thalena lent him an essence core containing Pyrathalor's essence, which Cyrena and Deylin had prepared. Aelius's opening attack killed half the approaching strike force before he confronted Ozaryn. Silas replenished Aelius's reserves while Arinella restored an arm and a leg severed in the fighting. Aelius drove Ozaryn back, then passed the core to Cassian on Thalena's orders during the battle with Ozaith. He supported Cassian's subsequent appointment as archon of time.
Luminaris and Rimvold
Timerifts struck the memorial feast at Stella Aeterna. Aelius's fiery blast saved Xarion from being cut in two and carried Xarion and Thea into a rift with him. All three arrived in Varnhallow and settled in Luminaris, where Aelius helped Xarion establish himself as a divine patriarch.
After Wilfred endorsed Xarion's succession, Aelius and Xarion ambushed him outside the city to conceal Xarion's false identity as a divine patriarch. Xarion hesitated to kill him. Aelius attacked with white fire, but Wilfred overloaded before the flames reached him. Aelius consoled Xarion afterward and defended the decision as necessary to keep their families safe and return home.
In Rimvold, Aelius helped Thalion and Svanhild prepare an army against Malverand. He supported fighting the empire because its survival threatened the people they had left in the future. He planned the Order's infiltration of Jazarel, assigning roles to a small group that entered as merchants and travelers and intended to escape in Uriandel's colors. When Thalion ordered that all records of Malverand and the Order be destroyed, Aelius made clear that members who broke the rule would be killed.
Aelius took the name Ignatius when the Order adopted new identities. He helped care for Helena in Rimvold, comforting her and assisting Thalion as she grew up. He pledged to serve as Thalion's blade and guarded Rimvold with Benedict while Thalion was away.
Jazarel and Thundermarch
During the fighting against Jeremiah, Aelius attacked with plasma and lost his left arm. Isandriel restored it, allowing him to continue fighting. He later fought Raphael during the Order's attack on Jazarel. Isandriel healed his severed leg before he resumed the attack, but Thalion ultimately ordered him to leave Raphael and return to the fleet.
After the battle, he accompanied Thalion, Helena, and Sephara west toward Thundermarch. Thalion assigned him to watch Sephara because she had served the Oracles of Eternity and might try to escape. He helped navigate with maps of the lands in his own time and kept the skyship warm as they climbed above the darkness wall. When Helena struggled to breathe, he supplied air to her lungs.
Relationships
- Thalena: Thalena is his adoptive mother and childhood teacher. He repeatedly challenged her to duels, and her instruction prepared him for service in the legions. In the past, he helps care for her as Helena.
- Zephyra: Zephyra is his sister through their adoption by Thalena. They grew up together in Stella Aeterna.
- Xarion: Xarion is his companion through the timerift and commander as Thalion. Aelius undertook the attack on Wilfred when Xarion hesitated and continues to carry out the military work of the Order.
- Cassian and Arinella: Cassian and Arinella trained under Aelius before the attack on Chronasis. Arinella later healed his injuries during his fight with Ozaryn, and Aelius supported Cassian's appointment as archon of time.
Aelius, known as Ignatius during his years in the past, is a former imperator of the Thalassai Legions and the military second in command of the Order of Thalion Zenith. He is Thalena's adopted son and Zephyra's brother. He remains in temporal stasis beneath Maraveth, where Eira preserved the Order so its members could return to their own time.
Appearance
Aelius has red hair and red eyes. His eyes brighten when he channels magic, and heat radiates from his body. In Thalassai, he wore a red tunic and golden bracers.
Magic
He fights with fire, plasma, and resonance. He casts plasma bolts and beams, coats his fists and feet in plasma, and uses resonance waves to break gravity spells. He propels himself through the air with fire and air magic. He also supplies air to companions who cannot breathe at high altitude and warms them with controlled waves of heat.
History
Childhood and Thalassai
Aelius's father was an archon of fire. His parents saved Pyrenis from a volcanic eruption, but both overloaded during the rescue and died shortly afterward. Thalena and Calythos brought him the news, and Thalena adopted him that day. She took him into Stella Aeterna, held him through his grief, and told him stories of Thalion. Zephyra became his older sister.
As a boy, Aelius repeatedly challenged Thalena to duels and continued despite his defeats. He also learned from Lunorax. His pranks with Zephyra damaged parts of Stella Aeterna, and Thalena eventually sent him into the legions under Hadrian. He rose through the ranks and won several Celestial Games. Hadrian and the archons supported his appointment as imperator. Thalena refused to influence the decision. Hadrian left him in command in Chronasis so that he could remain close to her.
Aelius led the legions alongside Hadrian and Marcellus. After darkness creatures appeared in the southern islands, he passed Thalena's instructions to the other imperators and led forces south. He later put Cassian and Arinella through grueling duels to prepare them to defend Chronasis.
Thalena lent Aelius an essence core containing Pyrathalor's essence, prepared by Cyrena and Deylin. Aelius's opening attack killed half the approaching strike force before he confronted Ozaryn. Silas replenished Aelius's reserves while Arinella restored an arm and a leg severed in the fighting. Aelius drove Ozaryn back, then passed the core to Cassian on Thalena's orders during the battle with Ozaith. He supported Cassian's subsequent appointment as archon of time.
The Order in the past
Timerifts struck the memorial feast at Stella Aeterna. Aelius's fiery blast saved Xarion from being cut in two and carried Xarion and Thea into a rift with him. All three arrived in Varnhallow and settled in Luminaris, where Aelius helped Xarion establish himself as a divine patriarch.
After Wilfred endorsed Xarion's succession, Aelius and Xarion ambushed him outside the city to conceal Xarion's false identity as a divine patriarch. Xarion hesitated to kill him. Aelius attacked with white fire, but Wilfred overloaded before the flames reached him. Aelius consoled Xarion and defended the decision as necessary to keep their families safe and return home.
In Rimvold, Aelius helped Xarion, now called Thalion, and Svanhild prepare an army against Malverand. He supported fighting the empire because its survival threatened their loved ones in the future. He planned the Order's infiltration of Jazarel, assigning roles to a small group that entered as merchants and travelers and intended to escape in Uriandel's colors. When Thalion ordered that all records of Malverand and the Order be destroyed, Aelius made clear that members who broke the rule would be killed.
Aelius took the name Ignatius from a legendary fire archon in his ancestry. That archon, Ignatius, was Thalena and Flavian's son. During her life as Helena, Thalena had named him after Aelius.
As Ignatius, he helped care for Helena in Rimvold and trained her alongside Zero. He served as Thalion's military deputy and helped direct the Order's attacks. During the fighting against Jeremiah, he lost an arm and was healed by Isandriel. He later fought Raphael at Jazarel before obeying Thalion's order to return to the fleet. He accompanied Thalion and Helena to Thundermarch, where he was responsible for watching Sephara.
Defeat of Raphael
After the fighting at Jazarel exposed the limits of his strength, Aelius accepted a god core of the second generation from Thalion. The core fused with him through his palm. He then trained with Zero and John before the Order's final attacks on the guardians.
Aelius and John fought Raphael in Maraveth. As the battle devastated the city, Aelius ordered the surviving patriarchs to withdraw to Rimvold. The two continued fighting, but neither could heal his own injuries, while Raphael regenerated every wound they inflicted. Raphael had already spent much of his essence attacking the fleet. Aelius and John kept destroying his body until the regeneration failed, then burned away what remained.
Afterward, Aelius, John, Zero, and Kallion waited in Stormbrook under Thalion's orders. They taught magic in the surrounding villages while waiting for a way home. Aelius refused to abandon the mission even when they did not know whether Thalion would return. Searches of the ruined Maraveth failed to recover Raphael's Malverand heart.
Temporal stasis
Eira eventually reunited the Order beneath Maraveth and prepared machinery to hold its members in stasis until their own time. Aelius agreed to give up his god core as a power source. Gren severed the hand containing it; Aelius cauterized the wound, and Eira healed him. She connected the core to the engines and sealed him in a glass case.
More than three millennia later, Eira woke in 5369 AX. Aelius remained inside his case while she prepared to wake the others.
Relationships
- Thalena: Thalena adopted him after his parents' deaths and raised him in Stella Aeterna. Aelius's plasma magic developed through her training and Hadrian's trials. In the past, he helped care for her as Helena and trained her with Zero.
- Zephyra: Zephyra is his older sister through their adoption by Thalena. They grew up together in Stella Aeterna and played pranks on its residents.
- Hadrian: Hadrian is his military teacher and predecessor in Chronasis. Hadrian supported his promotion and left him in command of the city so he could remain near Thalena.
- Xarion: Xarion is his best friend and was his commander as Thalion. Aelius pledged to serve as his blade, attacked Wilfred when Xarion hesitated, and remained committed to Thalion's orders after the guardians' defeat.
- Jin Leiyun: Jin Leiyun was his companion in the Order under the name John. Together they defeated Raphael and later lived in Stormbrook while waiting to return home.
Aelius is an imperator of the Thalassai Legions and Thalassai's representative on the Valrindor Council. He is Thalena's adopted son and Zephyra's brother. Under the name Ignatius, he served Thalion as the military second in command of the Order of Thalion Zenith during its war against Malverand.
Appearance
Aelius has red hair and red eyes. After his years in the past, gray streaks run through his hair and lines mark his face. His eyes brighten when he channels his magic, and heat radiates from his body.
Magic
He combines plasma with resonance, concealing destructive soundwaves within the heat of his attacks. Opponents who concentrate on resisting the plasma can miss the resonance striking them. He casts bolts and beams, coats his fists and feet in plasma, and releases resonance waves to disrupt gravity spells. He also uses air magic to supply breathable air and controls his heat to warm companions in cold conditions.
He wields the Glaive of Frost and Fire formerly carried by Pyrathalor. Cassian gave it to him. Aelius offered it back to Vianna, but she insisted that he keep it. He channels plasma along its blade and casts resonance through its strikes.
History
Childhood and the legions
Aelius's father was an archon of fire. His parents saved Pyrenis from a volcanic eruption, but both overloaded during the rescue and died shortly afterward. Thalena and Calythos brought him the news, and Thalena took him into Stella Aeterna as her son. She set aside her work to care for him, held him through his grief, and told him stories of Thalion. Zephyra became his older sister.
As he grew, Aelius repeatedly challenged Thalena to duels and continued despite his defeats. She trained him to protect Thalassai and serve as one of its commanders, and he also learned from Lunorax. His pranks with Zephyra damaged parts of Stella Aeterna, and his excess energy eventually led Thalena to send him into the legions under Hadrian. He rose through the ranks, winning several Celestial Games. Hadrian and the archons supported his appointment as imperator; Thalena refused to influence the decision. Hadrian left him in command in Chronasis so that he could remain close to her.
Aelius led the legions alongside Hadrian and Marcellus. After darkness creatures appeared in the southern islands, he passed Thalena's instructions to the other imperators and led forces south. He later put Cassian and Arinella through grueling duels to prepare them to defend Chronasis.
Thalena lent him an essence core containing Pyrathalor's essence, which Cyrena and Deylin had prepared. Aelius's opening attack killed half the approaching strike force before he confronted Ozaryn. Silas replenished Aelius's reserves while Arinella restored an arm and a leg severed in the fighting. Aelius drove Ozaryn back, then passed the core to Cassian on Thalena's orders during the battle with Ozaith. He subsequently supported Cassian's appointment as archon of time.
Thalion's Order
Timerifts struck the memorial feast at Stella Aeterna. Aelius's fiery blast saved Xarion from being cut in two and carried Xarion and Thea into a rift with him. All three arrived in Varnhallow and settled in Luminaris, where Aelius helped Xarion establish himself as a divine patriarch.
After Wilfred endorsed Xarion's succession, Aelius and Xarion ambushed him outside the city to conceal Xarion's false identity as a divine patriarch. Xarion hesitated to kill him. Aelius attacked with white fire, but Wilfred overloaded before the flames reached him. Aelius consoled Xarion afterward and defended the decision as necessary to keep their families safe and return home.
In Rimvold, Aelius helped Thalion and Svanhild prepare an army against Malverand. He supported fighting the empire because its survival threatened the people they had left in the future. He planned the Order's infiltration of Jazarel, assigning roles to a small group that entered as merchants and travelers and intended to escape in Uriandel's colors. When Thalion ordered that all records of Malverand and the Order be destroyed, Aelius made clear that members who broke the rule would be killed.
He took the name Ignatius from a legendary fire archon in his ancestry. That archon, Ignatius, was Thalena and Flavian's son. During her life as Helena, Thalena had named him after Aelius. She explained their blood relationship to Aelius after he returned to his own time.
As Ignatius, he helped care for Helena in Rimvold and trained her alongside Zero. He guarded Rimvold with Benedict while Thalion was away. During the fighting against Jeremiah, he lost an arm and was healed by Isandriel. He later fought Raphael at Jazarel before obeying Thalion's order to return to the fleet. He accompanied Thalion and Helena to Thundermarch, where he was responsible for watching Sephara.
The guardians and stasis
After the fighting at Jazarel exposed the limits of his strength, Aelius accepted a god core of the second generation from Thalion. The core fused with him through his palm. He trained with Zero and John before the Order's final attacks on the guardians.
Aelius and John fought Raphael in Maraveth. Aelius ordered the surviving patriarchs to withdraw to Rimvold while the two continued their attack. Raphael repeatedly regenerated, but his earlier assault on the fleet had consumed much of his essence. Aelius and John kept destroying his body until the regeneration failed, then burned away what remained.
Following the battle, Aelius, John, Zero, and Kallion waited in Stormbrook under Thalion's orders. They taught magic in the surrounding villages while awaiting a way home. Zero and John's searches failed to recover Raphael's Malverand heart. When Eira reunited the Order beneath Maraveth, Aelius agreed to give up his god core to power her stasis machinery. Gren severed the hand containing it, and Eira healed him. She sealed him in a glass case, where he remained for more than three millennia.
Return and Ulzathir
After Aelius was recovered from the vault, Lysander healed him, but his magic remained impaired after he woke. Daily training under Hadrian and Anshar gradually restored it. He resumed his duties as imperator before he had fully recovered.
He joined the attack on Ishtanûr, using Pyrathalor's glaive to break golden barriers and driving back Zhulkar. The defenders continually replaced their shields, halting the assault. Aelius ordered withdrawal after sensing fear through one of the arriving astragons.
He later waited outside Cyndarel with Vianna and Kren to intercept Raphael's forces as they escaped the darkness veil. He struck Eliona in the back with his thrown glaive, but she escaped. During the retreat from the hurricane, he rode Gin with the others and used resonance strikes to destroy debris threatening their escape.
In the renewed attack on Ishtanûr, he fought against Ishqari's ice magic and confronted Zhulkar again. After the city fell, Aelius and Anshar had Ishqari buried deep underground, with her agreement, because the crystal inside her could detonate again.
Aelius later joined Xarion at Melandor. He asked Cassian for permission to stay at Xarion's side. Cassian told him that permission was unnecessary and appointed him Thalassai's representative on the Valrindor Council.
Relationships
- Thalena: Thalena raised and trained him after his parents' deaths. Aelius loves her as his mother and considers protecting her part of his duty. In the past, he helped care for her as Helena; after his return, she told him that he was also her blood descendant.
- Zephyra: Zephyra is his older sister through their adoption by Thalena. They grew up together in Stella Aeterna, and Aelius remains determined to protect her.
- Hadrian: Hadrian is his military teacher and predecessor in Chronasis. Hadrian subjected him to difficult training, supported his promotion, and helped him recover his magic after stasis.
- Xarion: Xarion is his best friend and was his commander during their years in the past. Aelius attacked Wilfred when Xarion hesitated and pledged to serve as his blade.
- Jin Leiyun: Jin Leiyun was his companion in the Order under the name John. They trained together, defeated Raphael together, and lived in Stormbrook while waiting to return home.