Weapons
Blossom
Alyssa’s first weapon is simply named Blossom after the beautiful cherry trees that can be found on Earth in Japan. The blade is both elegant and delicate, akin to Alyssa herself. It is swift and light but deadly all the same.
Devourer
Alyssa’s true weapon and also one that is considered to be cursed. Devourer constantly draws the blood of its opponent, strengthening itself, once the blade has absorbed enough blood, the next strike will pierce anything in its path. The only thing that can hinder this blade is the Angel’s Staff, Niranye which cancels all enchantments.
Bio
Alyssa is the most skilled swordswoman on all of Aria. Composed, elegant, graceful and dignified are all words that best suit her. Descendant of royalty from her home planet and having been trained in poise and comportment befitting that of a Princess, Alyssa carried herself in a most regal way, far stricter than the example of the other Kings and Queens of Aria. However, without a throne to rule over she was free of one burden only to be tasked with another, to become a warrior and defend Aria.
Alyssa has dark hair and the most brilliantly blue eyes that dazzle and sparkle brighter than sun glinting off the ocean’s surface. They are more beautiful to behold than sapphires or diamonds, but that is nothing compared to the full picture. Alyssa can be described as nothing less but heavenly in appearance, and it would only do to depict her as some high Angel because of her incredible beauty. Her skin is without blemish and her features has nothing lacking, full lips, a cute nose, rosy cheeks, those bright eyes and a smile that made all men swoon before her.
Her past is mostly one of tragedy, having lost her father at an early age and then losing control of her powers and causing the unfortunate accident that took her mother’s life. This latter act she blames on both herself and her half-sister Victoria, whom she calls Ouranos to spite her because Victoria views it as an ugly name. This causes her to be afraid and quite reserved of her powers which if unleashed could do terrifying but extraordinary things.
She is also Christian’s beloved and loves him dearly, however being a telepath allows her to feel things much stronger than the average girl. Everything is amplified as everything she touches holds memory and feeling. As such she has hypersensitivity in all five senses which can feel overwhelming at times, but the one that she fears and feels the most is touch. Touching another person causes not a tingle but an entire electric storm along her nerves which burns and gives her severe pain. (Imagine hitting your funny bone really hard at the slightest touch from another person). Telepaths do have anchors (persons they are quite attached to) that can handle them. For most telepaths it is one or both parents, and for Alyssa it was her mother for a while, then her sister Alana and finally Christian. Telepaths can have multiple anchors and having an anchor that is not family is a powerful bond of both trust and love. Anchors can also be ‘removed’ if the person every betrays the telepath’s feeling of trust and love.
Inspiration
Alyssa was inspired simply by beauty at first, the idea of the most beautiful being imaginable, solely in terms of appearance at first. This is why she became a princess but bordering on the appearance of an Angel. However, to give depth to this character I decided to write a personal trait, namely hypersensitivity, into her. I don’t feel near as much discomfort as Alyssa does in the story, but the fact remains that bright lights, loud noises (or music blaring from speakers), that first bite of food from a meal and even the touch of another person feel amplified for me and these things pushed to their limits can feel uncomfortable.
However, with Alyssa it is coupled with this insecurity of never being able to truly love someone and have a family, especially after she lost Christian and he lost his memories. From that moment onward she felt confused, Christian was in a limbo state between being her Anchor and not being her Anchor simultaneously. It is only natural to doubt whether true love can exist especially in real life, that fairy tale seems all too great for us sometimes, but in the end as you might discover from the books, true love does win out in the end and it does exist.
Telepathy was always Alyssa’s first element since the inception of the character. I’m not sure where exactly the idea came from, perhaps from Jean Grey of the X-men as her powers also have a pink color to them, but it is more than just an ability or a superpower to beat up the enemies. Telepathy factors into her own life quite heavily, imagine being able to hear the foremost thoughts of everyone around you, it would lead you to pass quick judgements on everyone. And all before you would even consider whether every thought that enters your head is a good one.
Spiritually, because Alyssa can feel things stronger than most, she is usually trusted by animals and nature. She can understand them and their pain better than almost anyone else can because of her unique ability to see their memories, but also to feel their emotions. With such a strong connection to the world around her Alyssa can feel overwhelmed and need Anchoring often. I don’t see this as a dependency on Christian, rather that his love can help her forget all her worldly woes for a time and help her to focus on beautiful dreams like that of a family.
Lastly I want to touch on Alyssa’s second element which turned out to be Orathic. At first I was confused myself as to why she needed to have this element. But it struck me that the one who found discomfort in others could actually take away their discomfort and feelings of hurt and pain. For Orathic is the soothing element and numbs all forms of hurt. Perhaps when Alyssa learns to console and care for others, the way that Christian can, then she will truly realize her true potential as a person.