Aina_Sofie

Aina is a rare case of two things. An 'artificial' youkai, and a rather young one by their standards. The two are, ultimately, related. Raised as a cat, as most nekomata are, Aina was owned by a strange sort, a cataloger of mysterious creatures... and prominent sorcerer in arts forbidden, such as the manipulation of souls. In this world of the Realm of Bells, such was forbidden by human society for its disruption of the 'true self'. Yet, he persisted, knowing it was through the soul that magical creatures were born.

When Aina turned roughly 6 (early adulthood for a cat), her master performed a fell ritual that was meant to siphon energy from magic foci into her, in an attempt to turn her into a nekomata, a state normally achieved by cats when they have lived for a long time (longer than natural) due to spiritual enlightenment or magic. The man wasn't patient /enough/ to wait a century, so instead he tried this.

...But he failed. The little girl, younger than her cat equivalent but older than her years would be on a human, was hungry. She had achieved youkaihood, but was incomplete, her soul risking collapse under the weight of the advanced form it didn't have either mana or spiritual integrity to hold up. So she... turned to her master. It was quick, but not overly painless, as her eyes lit up in gold with his soul's vital energies after what was basically a terrifying parody of a kiss.

She then had the run of the house, his physically-drained husk soon being disposed of, as she dressed herself in what he bought for her expecting a semi-loyal youkai familiar. But she felt odd as she read some of his books and other such pursuits of study. Odd and... knowing. She had learned that his plan didn't end with just a familiar. He wanted a vessel of souls, one that'd be able to channel eldritch spirits and provide them for his use.

...not that he lived to see it, but he got that, too. The left-overs from the first accidental channeling proved nasty, she had woken up with a full belly and a strange ability to /handle/ it being human-full. Once she figured out that spirits of hunger and predation were drawn to her for the fate of her master... Aina would use this.

She would collect souls and become a great demon, if for no other reason than that it felt good.

------------------------

All unfilled sliders as Sacred_Bells.

(( The Vessel's Tone amidst the Sacred_Bells. ))