Overview
Maia is an aether and cosmic mage from Ulzathir, the former wielder of Ozaith, and a member of the Order of Thalion Zenith under Thalion. Ozaith gives her the name Ozaryn after choosing her as his wielder; after his death, she rejects Ozaryn and takes back the Maia name. In the Order, she lives as Mia.
Maia survives the failed invasion of Thalassai, stays with Virel and Vianna in Kyranthos, and joins Vianna and Virel's investigation of Varnhallow after the timerift attack on the Ember Spire. After Varnhallow strands her in the past, she serves Thalion and dies at Jazarel while protecting Helena from Thamrielle's lava.
Appearance and Temperament
As Ozaryn, Maia has cosmic-blue hair and an aggressive confidence that alarms even Virel and Nahm. She argues for killing enemies, clashes with Lythariel, and acts with little patience for restraint. Ozaith's imprint reprimands her during the Thalassai invasion, and she later blames Ozaith's shard and emotions for the change in her behavior.
After Ozaith's death, Maia becomes quieter and more withdrawn. Burns from Aelius's plasma mark her skin, and she fears returning to Ulzathir because failure there means death to her. In Kyranthos and the Order, she keeps to the edges of groups, follows through on difficult work, and protects the people who become close to her.
Magic and Combat
Maia is an extremely powerful aether and cosmic mage. As Ozaryn, she uses dense cosmic barriers, white-hot cosmic beams, gravity waves, meteors, and aether flight. During the Thalassai invasion, she shields allied mages from Aelius's fire and fights him near Chronasis; their duel leaves the ground around the city scorched, cratered, and broken before Aelius defeats her.
Without Ozaith's shard, Maia remains formidable. She clears dust and debris with aether magic, carries allies through the air, shields buildings, and trains with Vianna and Virel in Kyranthos. In Varnhallow's arena, she fights Aurelia with cosmic glyphs, gravity pressure, rapid beams, and barriers. During the Jazarel Battle, she fights beside Zero, fires cosmic beams at enemy skyships, moves against Jeremiah and Uriandel, freezes Helena in midair with aether magic, and raises cosmic and aether shields against Thamrielle.
History
Alistair selects Maia as Ozaith's next wielder. The choice surprises Anshar because Zain is considered stronger, while Zain later thinks of Maia as the Ozaryn of their generation.
During the Thalassai invasion, Ozaryn travels with Virel, Vianna, Nahm, and the allied fleet. She presses for lethal solutions, tests Vianna's defenses, and fights Aelius after he appears with Pyrathalor's essence. When Ozaith dies and the Thalassai invasion collapses, she breaks down, takes back the Maia name, asks to go with him, and refuses to return to Ulzathir.
Virel brings Maia to Kyranthos with Vianna and the Morozkayan survivors. Maia stays during the city's recovery, trains with Vianna and Virel, and volunteers for the Varnhallow investigation after the timerift attack on the Ember Spire. Inside Varnhallow, she joins Vianna, Virel, Kren, Zayren, Lysander, Ivan, Svanhild, and Aurelia in the tournament and the attempt to escape.
When the group is stranded in the past, Maia remains with Thalion's Order. She scouts with Thea/Titania, befriends Zero, serves in the Order, and lives as Mia. During the Jazarel Battle, she and Zero move against Jeremiah and Uriandel after the guardians weaken each other. Thamrielle's intervention creates a fatal loop around Helena's abyss. In the final outcome, Mia restrains Helena with aether magic and is consumed by Thamrielle's lava while keeping Helena alive.
Relationships
- Ozaith: Ozaith is Maia's former god and shard source. He gives her the Ozaryn name. After he dies, Maia no longer wields his shard and fears Ulzathir's judgment.
- Thea/Titania: Thea is Maia's sister. They serve together in the Order of Thalion Zenith, and Mia's death deeply affects Thea.
- Virel and Vianna: Virel shelters Maia after Ozaith's death, and Vianna gives her a place in Kyranthos. Maia trains with them and joins Vianna's Varnhallow investigation.
- Zero: Zero becomes a close Order companion to Maia. Their bond deepens during the Jazarel Battle, and he retains enough of Helena's loop to understand that Mia chose her sacrifice.
- Helena: Maia protects Helena during Order missions, promises to teach her after the Jazarel Battle, and dies so Helena can live.
- Thamrielle: Thamrielle kills Mia at Jazarel, and Thalion and Zero grieve and rage over her death.