Heroine Profile: Duchess Blade
Real Name: Viola Stewart
Alias: Ghost Blade, Dutch, Vi, Invision
Identity: Known to the organization named "Sin," her parents, and Akai's parents. Otherwise unknown to the rest of the Earth, including other dimensions.
Height: 4'6"
Age: 15 (Born 3 May 1996)
Hometown: New York City
Blood Type: AB+
Physique
- Slim build
- Tanned complexion
- 4'6 tall teenage girl
- Shoulder-length "Serrated Sugar" hair
- Green eyes
"She was once just an average girl." You've heard the formulaic story. Ordinary little girl given great power and responsibility, only to find herself incapable of handling the hardships that come. But 'Vi' probably experienced it all. From the highest ends of superhero life to the lowest of low.
The series of dramatic events, as with any good old romance novels, began with a boy. Before then, Viola had been a tenacious tomboy at school, full of optimism towards and enthusiasm towards her future. But as with any citizen of modern society, she was unknowing of just how systematic and mundane her life had been. Entered Akai Tanner, a charming young lad who quickly stole little Viola's heart, even if it was not in his intention to do so. They were both 10 at the time, but even at that young age, the 'perfect man' had already kept some dark secrets of his own. As it turned out, Akai was a shapeshifting superhero capable of transforming his appendages to those of animals and beasts, earning his nickname, "Chimera Lad." Furthermore, his powers were part of a sadistic experiment conducted by mad geniuses working for an organization called "Sin." Speculations stated, however, that Akai was a mutant, his powers granted ever since birth, and that the scientists and Sin were merely catalysts that triggered those powers.
Viola's mundane life was of no more, especially after she decided to follow Akai on his (seemingly) flashy superheroic life, despite multiple disagreements from the lad. Her ignorance, however, was soon rewarded with horrible tragedies and unprecedented danger, beginning with the deaths of Viola's friends and classmates, when her school was blown up in hopes of eliminating Chimera. Akai's identity had been made known by some criminals when Viola got too close to him. They survived, of course, all due to Akai's quick instincts. Viola hated him, however, for not being able to save the others with those so-called instincts. They separated for a while.
Ever since then, Viola began her dark life of loneliness, being known throughout the state of New York as the 'Monster's Vixen.' She transferred from school to school, with little avail. For a 10 year old, it was an unthinkable experience, waking up at night in cold sweat, having nightmares of her classmates haunting her... for revenge.
Eventually, Viola broke down, and attempted suicide by leaping off a skyscraper. Naturally, Chimera arrived in time to save the damsel in utmost distress. He had been guarding her, night by night, and was both pained and angered by her foolish act of ending her life. "A completely unthinking idiot," he called her. "Where was the unyielding tomboy I once knew!? Attempting suicide just because a mere portion of what I went through happened to you. You accepted the responsibility of being involved with me, and now you are going to forgo that responsibility by making your parents suffer as well? You can't cure your own suffering by making others suffer, Viola. Never give up."
The couple reconciled, but it was not till a few months later, after another occurrence, that Viola felt comfortable being around Akai. A civil war had somehow broke out, and the government passed down a discriminative registration program against all meta-humans - superheroes, in simple terms. Amongst them, Viola's father was put on trial for the unlawful murder of a supervillain; the crime being more severe with his position as the chief commander of the NYPD. The villain had hurt his daughter, badly, after kidnapping her to get back against the police chief. Though Chief Stewart's rescuing of Viola was successful, the villain met his death when Stewart defended himself from an attack. Upon Viola's request, Akai lent his aid and testimony. Despite being a 'Super' himself, he was involved in the case, and was by Chief Stewart's side when the rescue occurred. Both Mr. Stewart and Akai were then successfully released as free men from the grips of the new law, and Viola couldn't be more thankful for that. The flames between the two kids were, once more, gradually rekindled.
However, it wouldn't be long before they were met with more misfortunes and tragedies. After Chimera Lad had discontinue another terrorist act by the organization, "Sin," the seven leaders of the group commenced a man-hunt on the superhero himself. When Akai learned of this, he knew Viola would be put in utmost danger throughout this period. But Sin was swift, and Viola was indeed captured before Akai could get to her. The ugliest days of her life thus began. Sin proposed an exchange, of course; his aid to the organization for the girl's freedom. The group would not wish death for either of them - both children were useful assets, after all. Until Chimera was able to satisfy the leaders with his assistance for as long as they desire, Viola shall not leave. What happened to her until then was unspeakably inhumane. With each night that Chimera failed to secretly secure her from their clutches, or if he was caught escaping from the 'Agents of Sin' that would accompany him everywhere her 'sentence' given by their own judiciary of law was doubled upon discovery of his betrayal.
In the end, Akai was on the brink of giving up. Though his life had always been a painful one, no pain was greater than watching the kind of suffering Viola was going through. Just as he was begging for mercy from the animals, daddy came to help. Mr. Stewart was a powerful man, but so was Mr. Tanner, Akai's father, a renowned detective from Japan. It took a good two weeks for Tanner to deduce the location of his missing son, and another month for both fathers to infiltrate the impenetrable base of the Sin organization. Sin was undoubtedly powerful, and even when the two children were freed from danger, the leaders had all but made a complete escape.
When the light-shows of the press were over, another long term of quietude began again between the couple, as the two kids go through a lengthy recovery process for their tattered souls. Viola stopped talking completely for a while, keeping herself in her room. Akai simply disappeared from society, keeping himself away from people as well. It was thanks to her father that Viola started to even look at people again, and it was also due his efforts that Viola learned to defend herself through the arts of swordsmanship. She was no longer a damsel. Rather, she particularly wielded the katana quite skillfully, channeling her bitterness into the slicing of the blade. She never did see Akai again till two years later in Prague, where he was drowning himself in liquor and regret. Viola never hated him, of course. She chose this life, yet Akai fought with his life to ensure her safety. Hence, she decided to mend their relationship once more. Hearing this, Akai told Viola, "Love is 0 in the superhero world. No matter how much you try, you'd always end up with 0." Yet, Viola optimistically replied, much to his surprise, "Idiot. 0 is start. Everything starts from 0. Nothing would get anywhere without starting from 0." He smiled. Little Viola had indeed grew up.
2011 arrived, and Viola turned 15. The couple's lives were finally met with the longest period of peacetime since they first met. Aside from harmless ordinary crime, the couple was safe, their lives finally filled with happy, innocent childhood memories. Sin never resurfaced, probably moving on to another country to terrorize its residents. Yet, brewed trouble never seemed to go away. Around the peak of the year, Akai began to disappear again, more than he usually did. He had miss classes and stood Viola up on their dates before, but the rate of his absence became ridiculously high that year. More suspiciously, when questioned about it, he would often brush Viola off, saying that he was "simply busy with some incidents," with a tempered attitude.
With Akai's state becoming obviously concerning, Viola began to follow him one night. What she discovered soon after was a large portal-like machinery in a warehouse with a white streak of light streaming through its opening. Akai was nowhere in the spacious room at the time, leading a curious Viola to fumble with the controls in hopes of finding him somewhere through the white light. Her hopes were turned futile as the panel buttons began flashing and beeping. Instead of finding Akai, a powerful suction force from the portal instead pulled Viola's body towards the streak of light. She did scream for help, but by the time Akai heeded her call and rushed into the room, she had been pulled through a portal, and the light disappeared just as quickly.
Blames were pushed around, regarding how an irresponsible Devil of a boy had cause an innocent girl, and her family, endless trauma. Voices were raised, with Mr. Stewart's being the loudest. Search parties lasting for months were organized throughout the world. But none of those actions brought any result. Both Tanners, father and son, however, knew that Viola was no longer of their world. It did not mean that she was dead, just that the chances of locating a person amongst countless zillions of dimensions and universes were close to absolutely impossible. But Akai never gave up, performing his own search for his lost love with the aid of his father and his research notes.
Little did either knew that the dimensional portal's last input location was listed was "Upsilon Beta 9-6," a little place more commonly known as... "Praetoria."
