Writing Pov : 3rd para & detailed 1st pov (although I must admit my para may not be that lengthy and I have not done 1st pov for a long time)

Activity Level : I have a full time job but I will try to reply when I get home at night. Sometimes my weekend will be more busier than weekdays so it depends. Do poke me after 3 days of inactivity, I would really appreciate that cause usually I would remember my replies.

Face claim : Xiao Zhan

Occupation : Guard to Princess Erryana Daranteh

Date of birth : 25th Rekindra 1470 (30 years old)

Affiliations :

• House Aemhyr, (formerly, erased)

• House Daranteh, (currently serving Princess Eryanna)

Sexual Orientation : Bisexual (he/him)

Status : Single ; unmarried

The name Maerlus was given to him by his own mother, in honoring her own husband. The boy will be their legacy, the one who will lead the great name of Aemhyr in following the teachings of the divine goddess' ways of life. From birth, Maerlus was burdened with more than duty—he bore an omen.

He remembered being woken up by the fuss. The hushed whispers of the stillwards can be heard by his little ears, the news that his newly born baby sister might not live because she won't cry. That stroked the first fear in his life. Wild thoughts running in his head. His sister was about to be born but how come Galaneth become cruel enough to take her away even before he could see her?

It all happened so fast and he could feel it rising from his chest at first - a searing heat not of fire but of rumbling stones. He didn’t understand what death was yet. But in that moment, standing barefoot on cold marble, Maerlus felt the world rupture. The quake struck like the fist of a forgotten goddess.

Streets shattered. Pillars groaned and folded like parchment. The homes of their retainers collapsed. Over sixty people, including stillwards, were buried beneath the earth before their morning meal. And Maerlus, trembling and untouched in the chaos, stood at the eye of it.

Suddenly new whispers were exchanging.

A blessing

But not to him, they meant his baby sister. In just one night, Isaneth became the new goddess, incarnation of Galaneth.

Maerlus had grown into a man of quiet grace and stormy eyes. He had learned to hold the power in, to bury it under layers of discipline, song, and steel. But it was always there. He could feel the pull of stone beneath his boots, the slow heart of the mountain when he slept, the weeping of trees after storms. The earth did not forget him.

Nor did he forget what he did.

Maerlus had overheard the discussion between his own father and mother. How the stillwards had whispered to him that Maerlus is slowly becoming more and more uncontrollable with his own powers. How his powers destroys things instead nurturing and protecting. How they had planned to send him to the Librarians, calling him a possible Deep Caller -- locking him away like he was some sort of beast.

The truth is, Maerlus knows that is true.

He had seen it before, wandering in the forest alone one night. The man had the same ability as he does and being trained secretly underground. He had also seen how the effected and hardened the muscles of the trainer became, almost twisted and frozen in place.

He said nothing.

That night, he packed up his things and left. Just like the night he was born, Maerlus now goes by Thorne.

• Solitude moments in nature - Even as a guard, he stole some moments for himself to be in nature. Feeling the movements of stones undergrounds and the whisper of the leaves in the trees.

• Secret letters and flowers from his sister - Though his ties with his former house had severed, he still keeps in contact with his youngest sister, Isaneth who always look at him without fear.

• Quiet music and lullabies - reminds me of the time before that incidents. The sanctuary had always been at peace despite of the rebellion that runs underground.

Dislikes

• Uninvited touch (skin to skin) - With the powers he suppressing, being touched so sudden could trigger it. That is why he always cover up his limbs.

• Religious Fatalism - Too much whisper of ‘This must be the work of a Deep Caller’ in accidents or tragedies will annoy him. He does not want to think that he meant only to destroy.

• Being recognized - Though his name had been erased from the family but he lived there until he was 22 therefore, there are some people in Dvaarhalen that might recognize him. He would stay away as much as possible.

“Maerlus is a stone carved by guilt, tempered by restraint, and buried in quiet sorrow—but beneath it all, he holds the tectonic strength to change the world if only he learns to forgive himself.“

1. Guilt-Shaped
   His childhood trauma defines many of his behaviors—he doesn’t believe he deserves peace, happiness, or love. He avoids attachment for fear that he’ll hurt someone again. Constantly monitoring his own power and emotions, always trying not to "shake the world again."

   He walks like the ground’s afraid to wake under him.

2. Highly Observant & Grounded
   Maerlus reads people like stone—what pressure breaks them, what weight they carry. He notices the small things: the worn soles of shoes, the twitch of a hand. He trusts truth over appearances, actions over promises. Shows little emotion, but feels deeply. Grief, love, rage—they’re all buried beneath his skin like magma.

   He’s not cold. He’s just... carved from something older.

   
   

3. Self-Restrained & Disciplined
   Since discovering his powers are destructive, he has trained himself (with whatever he can and knows)—physically, mentally, emotionally—to remain grounded. Even his emotions are tightly locked behind a wall of calm. His anger feels like the rumble before an avalanche—rare, but unstoppable.

   Doesn’t believe in glory. He fights only when needed. Always thinks about exit routes, food, shelter.