Aper

Aper
Aper the Arashi
Alias	The Arashi
Status	Dead
Age	Unknown
Gender	Male
Species	Arashi
Alignment	Neutral
Notable Powers	Telepathy, Gravity Control, Shapeshift, Invulnerability, Infinite Stamina
Weapons	Swords
Universe of Origin	Original
Player	Gui

Aper is one of the three Arashi, second to appear in the timeline and the first to be revealed on Dead on Arrival. Aper is one of the first main antagonists of the story, and propels the Arashi storyarc at the center of the events that would later unfold in Genesis.

Description

From the moment he is revealed, Aper is described as an imposing and mystical figure constantly surrounded by unnatural shadows and mist. Though humanoid in shape, Aper's ressemblance to a man stops there: His skin bears a lifeless tone more akin to granite than flesh and his hair composed of shapeless black tendrils. Ancient engravings scar his body, whilst his visage is a faceless mask of metal and stone. This gives Aper a seemingly decayed appearance. Aper’s own power also contributes to his looks which appears as wraps of shreded cloth constantly swirling around him in an unnatural wind. Coupled with the bright opalescent light in his eyes, Aper’s attire give him a uniquely frightening appearance.

Story

Awakening

Laying dormant in the desert of Genesis until Amoura awakened him, Aper was immediately moved to purpose by the Arashi prophecy. He speaks at length about the need to restore balance, as the barriers between worlds and dimensions are failing. Leaving the Herald of Prophecy alive to warn the world of his coming - and signal the increasing number of refugees to return to their own dimension - Aper embarks on a long trek to Aircano, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.

Battle of Aircano

Upon making it to his destination, Aper surrounds the holy city by flames (later creating a desert of glass) preventing any escape from its residents. He then demands Aircano to forfeit the lives of the refugees, as they do not belong in Genesis and are the cause of the imbalance. The High-Priestess Miracle refuses the terms, to which Aper answers by destroying the city with a single swing of his blades. Miracle, Solomon, Amoura, Sparda, Maricul, Dante, Kyal and Clash all take part in trying to defend the city from the Arashi, but end up being completely overpowered despite their best efforts.

During the battle, Aper cites the Arashi Prophecy and holy doctrine, eventually revealing that he is not only an Arashi to Amoura, but also the physical manifestation of the will of Yahweh - the God of Genesis - to Miracle. Learning this drives the High Priestess to second-guess her actions and let Aper pursue his mission without any opposition.

Unable to accept this, the Witch Maricul uses her powers to tear at the barrier separating the worlds. Threatening to accomplish everything the Arashi sought to prevent, Aper finds no other alternative than to shed his physical body to let his infinite power cleanse Genesis of all impurities. This results in an explosion that kills Maricul and threatens to destroy Genesis itself. The energy's expansion is stopped however by the countless portals Maricul had opened beforehand, pouring out in other dimensions and obliterating them instead of Genesis.

Now a burning sphere of infinite energy at the center of the Crystal Expanse, Aper is recognized as the second sun of Genesis and was baptized Emmanuel in honour of the Arashi's divine lineage.

Legacy

Aper was summoned by Miracle on the slopes of the Downward Spiral to fight Maricul and stop her from merging all the realms under one banner, thus defying divine law. Miracle was about to unleash the full scope of the Arashi's power but was stopped short when Sincara shot and wounded her, forcing Aper to dissapear once again.

Unknowingly, Miracle's summoning of Aper also stopped Veran from entering Utopia to prevent Amoura from finding the Shroud of Turin - essentially delaying the Arashi Prophecy - and giving her time to fufill her quest.

Powers

Aper is one of the most powerful characters to have ever appeared in the story. Being an Arashi, the full extent of his power transcends any notion of what can be understood. During the battle of Aircano, Aper showcased a terrifying display of abilities such as being able to cleave through an entire city with a swing of his blade, invulnerability to all types of attack, shapeshift his body into a mass of vicious tendrils - each with enough strength to easily rip humans apart - and extensive control over gravity.

Much like the other Arashi, Aper speaks directly into the minds of those he wishes to communicate with. This particular form of telepathy often results in Aper causing his interlocutor to hallucinate. This was shown when a chorus of agonizing voices echoed at Aircano whenever Aper spoke. Amoura also lost control of the Waking Nightmare when she first encountered Aper in Jherrazad due to his link with Veran.

Aper's ultimate display of power was when he disposed of his physical body to unleash the entirety of his power in a supernova that nearly destroyed Genesis and obliterated thousands of parallel dimensions. This act killed an innumerable amount of people and will continue to do so until the only universe left for the explosion to expand is Genesis itself.

Relationships

Amoura

Amoura was the first person to come in contact with Aper and awaken him in the Jherrazad desert. She noticed she was gradually losing control of the Waking Nightmare the closer she got to Aper, possibly due to the similitudes in power between him and Veran. Upon setting eyes on Amoura, Aper immediately told her of the imbalance of the world and that she did not belong in Genesis. Threatening to kill her if she does not return to her world, Aper lets her go to warn the world of his coming - again designing her as Herald of Prophecy as Veran had before him.

Miracle

As the leading defender of the city at the Battle of Aircano, Miracle confronted Aper head-on with her powers given by Yahweh himself. Out of everyone present, Miracle was the only one able to endure and match the Arashi's power. Her faith was shaken when she was made aware of Aper's divine heritage, but eventually decided it to be the will of God and accepted the Arashi's mission as her own. Similarely, Aper revealed to her that the only reason why he didn't completely obliterate Aircano and its denizens was because she was a servant of Yahweh. It can be argued thus that Miracle was the only one ever able to experience mercy from an Arashi.

Veran

Created as part of the same divine triumverate, Veran and Aper share the same purpose in ensuring balance is maintained within the realms. Though prophecy dictates only a single Arashi may exist at a time, there were instances where the rule was broken: When Miracle channeled Aper's energy through herself and became his avatar on Genesis, it forced Veran into dissapearing from existence until the next moment where his mission could continue. This means Aper indirectly delayed prophecy from taking place and stands as the only Arashi to go against his original creed.

Quotes

• (To Amoura) ‘‘Balance…you shift it with your presence here, your existence.’’
• (At Aircano) ‘‘The Arashi shall mete out his vengeance upon all flesh, and blood shall run as great torrents.’’
• (To Amoura) ‘‘Vastaa Arashi!’’
  • ‘‘Answer the Arashi!’’ -translated from Dutch
• (To Miracle) ‘‘Let it be heard that Yahweh’s will cometh not from the faith of man – but from Yahweh itself. It is in His divine law that Arashi draws blade – and in His duty that destruction must come to pass; for all of His creation.’’
• (To Miracle) ‘‘Like Sodom and Gomorrah before you, if repentance is not sought so shall Aircano be swallowed by a storm of brimstone, salt and flames…’’
• (To Maricul) ‘‘Mortal and devil, you are part of two worlds and yet belong to neither. You corrupt man and set mind to motion: An abomination to be eradicated along with your machinations.’’

Trivia

• Aper is a name derived from Ancient Egyptian meaning storm; Arashi also has the same definition but in Japanese
• The image chosen for Aper is the Sandwraith from Prince of Persia: Warrior Within.
• Aper is heard speaking a number a languages, namely English, French, Italian, German, Dutch and Latin.
• Aper is one of Gui's character but was later brought back by Zira (player). As a result, Aper is the only character to have died and come back to be played by a different member.
• Aper was originally not meant to be tied to Veran.