Ashborn

His shadow form was a hulking, menacing warrior, hair flaring like purple fire over eyes lit the same shade. A pair of curved black horns jutted from his head, his claws were sharp, and jet-black armor sat beneath a long, smoky cloak as he carried a blade of pure black. The Ruler he had once been looked wholly other: a broad white knight whose large feathered wings spread behind flowing silver hair and radiant white eyes, robed in silver over pale tan plating and a grayish-blue cloak, his white sword fitted with a tan guard and gray hilt.

For all that power, Ashborn prized life deeply and felt true kindness toward humanity. Peace was his longing, and the ceaseless killing between Monarchs and Rulers sickened him, which is why he eventually entrusted both his hopes and his abilities to a human in order to end the bloodshed for good. That mercy coexisted with a blind, lasting devotion to the Absolute Being; even after he uncovered the harsh truth of his own making, he went on fighting in his god's name.

In ages past, Ashborn waged the Absolute Being's war beside his fellow Rulers against the Monarchs. When the others revolted at being used as playthings, he alone held faithful and tried to halt them, only to be cut down and left for dead. Certain his end had come, he braced for death, until he found a monstrous power the Absolute Being had concealed within him; triggering it remade him as the Shadow Monarch, restored and stronger, yet by his return the revolt was finished and his god was dead. After the Rulers seized Legia, he saw the Monarchs were doomed without him and lent aid they took with reluctance. His staggering strength bred dread on both sides, pushing Rakan and Baran to betray him; he beat them and killed Baran in answer, though his shadow army was all but destroyed. The Rulers then sought his pardon, and unable to give an answer, he slipped away to rebuild in secret, allowing them to win and disperse the Monarchs. He later went back to the Monarchs, and Antares welcomed him warmly, their numbers thinned and their strength spent.

Centuries on, when the Monarchs struck at the human world, Ashborn trailed after them seeking a place he had never felt he held in the chaos world, and he hunted a fitting human vessel with aid from the mage Kandiaru, who built a program for the purpose in return for immortality. One candidate kept breaking every rule and expectation that program set, and that was Sung Jinwoo. Feeble and forever close to death though he was, Jinwoo always lived, and the resolve he showed staking his life for his family again and again convinced Ashborn of his worth. Brushing aside Kandiaru's objections, Ashborn chose him and began shaping him through the System. Then came the turning point: with Jinwoo having climbed to level 100, Kandiaru summoned him back to the Double Dungeon, expecting the Shadow Monarch to take possession; Ashborn, however, had resolved to hand his power over so the young hunter could inherit the title instead. He sealed Kandiaru out of the System, gave Jinwoo his black heart, and broke their pact. After Rakan later killed Jinwoo, Ashborn snared him in an illusion, then stepped forward, laid bare the whole truth of their foes and Jinwoo's purpose, and offered a choice between an eternal dream or finishing the war. Jinwoo chose battle, and Ashborn returned him to reality reborn with the genuine power of the Shadow Monarch.