Case Files
Duo Freelancer Mages
Cassandra and Gerald Morgenstern are a pair of freelancer mages that guarantee a clean finish to each assassination request they receive. It is not a pleasant job, but it pays well. The two of them share a complicated relationship with each other.
File Name: Cassandra Hawthorne Morgenstern
Age: Twenty years old
Height: 5'2'' ; 159 cm
Hair Color: Black
Eye color: Dark Violet
A mysterious girl who works as Gerald Morgenstern's assistant. She is socially awkward due to not having many opportunities to speak with other people. Her origins make her a target for the church and association. Loves gyoza.
Born as Cassandra Hawthorne, she was the product of an experiment by Elizabeth Hawthorne. Elizabeth had become the new heir of the Hawthorne family, whose lineage dated about four hundred years. Due to a lack of notable achievements, the name had fallen into obscurity. The previous successor, being her father, desired to bring prestige to their name. Elizabeth chose to heed his request. She continued research on the flow and concentration of magical energy, which was the focus of the family studies.
Elizabeth was a student of the Clock Tower. There, she educated herself on numerous topics. Information about the Holy Grail War fascinated her the most. It inspired her to discover an alternative method to accumulate a large amount of magical energy on the same scale as a Holy Grail War. Elizabeth hypothesized that an artificial concentration of magical energy could create a path to the root or perform a miracle.
Using the techniques of sealing magecraft of the Hawthornes, Elizabeth experimented with homunculi obtained from an old colleague. She tested the flow of magical energy through magic circuits in its natural state before sealing some off to determine if it would redirect to other areas in the body. The result proved that magical energy continued to accumulate on the same path to reach its location. However, the concentration eventually led to a burst causing the deaths of several homunculi. It also resulted in the loss of magical energy.
Not satisfied with the results, she repeated the process with one added step: extracting blood from the homunculus at the sealed location. It is here she discovered that the blood contained a higher concentration of mana. She began to believe that if it could be done, with the blood preserved on a larger scale, then enough magical energy can be obtained to potentially create a gateway to the root in a shorter time than it takes to begin a genuine Holy Grail War.
She had limited resources. Thus, Elizabeth traveled to London in hopes of finding a benefactor to fund her research. Unfortunately, her idea met with rejection. The audience thought her method was unreliable compared to a Holy Grail War. She tried elsewhere, with little results. Defeated, she nearly gave up the project until a fateful meeting with a man that would change the direction of her research. This man referred to himself as Layton. Layton had heard of Elizabeth’s efforts to seek a benefactor. He offered to support her in exchange for a portion of the blood she would be accumulating. Although peculiar, she agreed to meet with him at his home to discuss the details. Elizabeth felt like it may be her only chance.
Elizabeth eventually meets with Layton at his manor, noting the village is peculiar. It is here where Layton reveals that he is a dead apostle. Layton decided to help a curious mage on a whim for his entertainment. He offered Elizabeth to become partners with him or become food for those in his territory she had willingly entered. Although Elizabeth knew mingling with dead apostles would lead to issues, her pride made her decide otherwise. She entered a partnership with him.
Over the years, Elizabeth made herself scarce in magi society. What followed after her mysterious seclusion was a sharp increase in missing person cases throughout the country.
During their time together, the two became close. Through many conversations, Elizabeth learned about Layton’s desire to achieve true immortality. The possibility of extending one’s life eventually began to interest her, causing a new project to be born. She coveted immortality for the Hawthorne name. She enlisted Layton’s cooperation with her plan to do so via producing a promising child using his blood. He calls her a sick woman, but the idea was promising. Layton agreed.
Elizabeth sought a suitable candidate, using those that did not meet her criteria as part of the original project. After scouting out a skilled magus from a well-off family, she charmed and slept with him. This led to the conception of Cassandra. During the pregnancy, she used Layton’s blood for a fetal blood transfusion. Consequently, Elizabeth became severely ill. Layton expected her to die, but she managed to survive and successfully give birth.
The child strangely showed no signs of becoming a ghoul. Instead, she grew like an average human. Elizabeth raised Cassandra, seeing her as a tool first and a daughter second. Layton was intrigued. He became curious about what will come of this heretical creation.
Cassandra began to exhibit peculiar behavior after infancy. She showed an aversion to sunlight, often complaining about it. Elizabeth noted a strange attachment to Layton. There were signs of Cassandra displaying similar abilities to him. The girl also possessed peculiar golden mystic eyes whose power nearly led to Elizabeth’s death.
Elizabeth kept her daughter isolated from the outside world, her only company being familiars, books, and occasionally Layton. Elizabeth would not see the outcome of the experiment. It was interrupted by the arrival of the association and church. They had finally pinpointed Layton’s territory, which he had hidden behind bounded fields. Knowing that the end may be nigh, they hastily made preparations to leave. Unbeknownst to them, a human named Gerald Morgenstern had infiltrated the premises as chaos began outside.
He met a ghoulish-looking Elizabeth, with her research in hand. She appeared to be rushing toward a door. The two engaged in combat, with Gerald being the victor. He kills Elizabeth, taking the suitcase full of years of work. Strangely, he found no signs of a magic crest contradicting the information he received. Curious about her previous actions, Gerald investigated what was behind the door to discover a confused Cassandra. Between the shock of the discovery and the sound of impending unwanted company, he spontaneously decided to take her with him leaving the fate of those in the manor unknown.
Gerald quickly realized what Cassandra is after reviewing the research. He considered her a monster; She is a product of what he hates about magus society. However, he saw her as an ironic, valuable tool to fulfill his ambitions. Gerald made the girl his apprentice, training her to become an efficient assassin. Cassandra reluctantly listened to his orders, knowing that she could not survive on her own. During this time, Cassandra developed more characteristics of a dead apostle. They included having a strong sense of smell or taste. However, she never developed a thirst for blood that Gerald feared may be the case in the future.
Her relationship with Gerald is strained and complicated. Although her memories of the past became muddied, Cassandra does not like him. She also sees him as a father figure because she depends on him for basic needs and knowledge that he willingly gives. It is something that earns her favor and appreciation. In the present, Gerald does not treat her harshly as he did before. Instead, he is kinder and views Cassandra as a daughter. Cassandra remains oblivious to her true origins due to Gerald keeping quiet. By his order, she does not speak about her profession or abilities to anyone save him.
Cassandra is a young woman with an unusual upbringing, which has resulted in peculiar behavior. Raised to be an assassin by Gerald, her guardian, she lacked social relationships beyond him and formal education. Her exterior shows a stoic lady, with a gaze as cold as ice. When carrying out a job, she is serious and unwavering. In the moment of hunting her target, Cassandra has a vicious, murderous intent. She is terrifyingly efficient at disposing of whoever Gerald targets. It is a sharp contrast to her typical demeanor that she is not sure of herself. Cassandra describes it as someone entirely different that takes over.
However, Cassandra is not devoid of warmth. Taking someone's life does not fill her with pleasure. She does not hate the people she is assigned to kill. Instead, she has respect for them because they have a passion or vision that they are willing to pursue, even if it means they will die.
She is someone who marches to the beat of her drum. Her words are blunt and honest. Her eyes fail to see the future in contrast to those she has slain. Life for Cassandra is stagnant, with the only goal being to survive to see the next sunrise. To her, survival is enough to maintain the comfortable lifestyle she has had for over ten years. Consequently, to keep this up, she has found herself codependent on Gerald.
Most of her exposure to how people behave socially has been from television shows and movies, which have warped her perception hindering her social capabilities with other people. Between a lack of formal education and this, she can be mistaken for being dimwitted. Cassandra fears making blunders, be it socially or performance-wise. Due to her lackluster performances in the past, she received comments from temporary colleagues that instilled the mindset that she was too stupid to do anything. To them, she was expendable. They advised Gerald should get rid of her. The fear of inadequacy or being abandoned fueled her to the opposite extreme. She exercises as much as possible while refining her magecraft to become an invaluable asset that few can compare to.
Magecraft
Circuit Quality: A
Circuit Quantity: B+
Circuit Composition: normal
Element: Earth
Origin: Disable
Magecraft: Seal Burst
Based on the Hawthorne’s focus on sealing magecraft, this is a specialized technique Cassandra created via previous knowledge from the family crest. Her magical energy channels toward parts of her body, mainly the hands and feet. Upon physically striking her opponent, the magical energy transfers into their body. It acts as an invasive virus, clinging to a magus’s magic circuits and temporarily seals them. This prevents the use of magecraft for a short period of time. Magical energy will continue to accumulate in the area that is sealed. Once the gathered energy releases, it bursts all at once throughout the body. It can potentially cause havoc to their nervous system and lead to the following spell being more powerful or destructive. It is possible for her to transfer the magical energy into physical objects that can have the same effect with training.
Mystic Eyes of Acceleration
When someone is within her vision their physiology is affected by her mystic eyes. They accelerate the heart and respiratory rate causing stress levels to sharply rise. Depending on one's health, its power can be fatal. If one is in poor health it can induce health problems such as cardiac arrest.
If a person is healthy, it creates the illusion of impending death causing a person to make reckless decisions. Her mystic eyes are able to target multiple people
at once as long as they are in the range of her vision. When activated, Cassandra's eyes are gold.
File Name: Gerald Hallorand Morgenstern
Age: Thirty-nine years old
Height: 6'2'' ; 189 cm
Hair Color: Black
Eye color: Gray
A man who fashions himself as a vigilante that desires change for a world he abandoned. He is a hard worker that is experienced in the ins-and-outs of being a freelancer. He is the boss, teacher, and caretaker of Cassandra. Has an interest in mystic codes.
Gerald came from the Halloran family, a prestigious family whose bloodline extends far. He was the youngest of two children. His skills showed promise as well as his circuit quality and quantity. Despite this, his parents focused most of their attention on the eldest because he was the heir. Buried in the shadow of his elder brother, Gerald quietly studied to refine his magecraft. Although he could have become jealous, the brothers had a good relationship with each other.
At the age of ten, life had changed forever. The Halloran family had always been good friends with the Morgensterns, both having some level of prestige in their name. It is best to call them business partners than genuine friends. They used each other to defend and elevate themselves in the face of power struggles. This time was no different. The Morgenstern family struggled to produce an heir for half a decade. Fearing being possibly left behind in the magus society, the family requested help. Halloran answered by giving them Gerald to adopt into their family, much to his dismay. What made this change more devastating is that his brother did not protest against it. The event taught him how powerless he was to the whims of those who are more powerful.
Gerald moved to the Morgenstern residence in Germany. Here he would begin his training to become the heir. In contrast to his home life, he received more attention and care. It made the sudden change less painful but could never mend the cracks in his heart. In his eyes, his family abandoned him with ease. Studious at heart, he met the expectations forced onto him. Although they provided the proper materials, Gerald never felt they viewed him as part of their family. The Morgensterns always felt distant, so in turn, he did the same.
The following two years involved intensely studying. Gerald's motivation was to gain power physically and mentally. He wanted more control over his life versus aiming to please his foster parents. However, something unexpected happened that hindered his plans. His foster parents, who thought they would never produce an heir, conceived a child that they would later name Evelyn. Although she was an infant at the time, Gerald already suspected the worst. However, the Morgensterns continued to treat him as their heir. It caused him to dismiss his worries.
At fourteen, his foster parents sent him to study abroad at the Clock Tower in London. It is here his understanding of the world of magecraft expanded. Consequently, so did the culture of magi. He noted the power struggles on a grander scale from students, lecturers, and the lords that ruled over the faculties. Gerald observed how magi from less prestigious families were looked down on. Worse, the same people who spoke ill of others would treat him better because of his name. It made the difference more obvious. Those who lacked prestige or talent were at a clear disadvantage. He saw the way the hierarchical system functioned as detrimental to many. It motivated him to gain a better understanding of this new world beyond his home life.
During breaks, he would return to Germany to spend time with his foster parents. He noted how their behavior toward him gradually changed the older Evelyn became. He feared the dreadful outcome of being abandoned twice. However, it remained a mere observation. As much as he wanted to dislike Evelyn because of his worries, Gerald treated her well like an older brother should.
Five years later, Gerald produced a thesis based on his investigation, observations, and studies about the culture. It fearlessly included criticism of the Clock Tower alongside other concerns such as unethical practices. He had put his heart and soul into it, desiring to improve the well-being of magus of all lineages for the future. The young, naive Gerald thought that his newly acquired power and work ethic would work in its favor. Instead, his work was determined to be laughable. They made him feel like a fool. Worse, it had a negative consequence of harming the Morgenstern name by marking it as a family that produces incompetence. Fearing for their name losing more prestige, his foster parents revoked his right to be the heir. Instead, they gave it to Evelyn.
Deeply frustrated by his work being treated as a joke and abandoned by another family, Gerald felt betrayed and broken. In his deep frustration, he acted on pure emotion. He left the Clock Tower without saying a word. Upon returning to the home in Germany, Gerald stole valuable items from their home to sell. He disappeared after this. Gerald realized it was pointless to play their game, so he broke off any association to become his own man. He became a freelancer magus to create the change he wanted to see.
In his early twenties, he was hunting a problematic magus named Elizabeth Hawthorne. Gerald wanted to extinguish her unethical project, which brought harm to numerous amounts of people. He viewed the data on the disappearances and witness testimonies, which made it possible to estimate a potential location for the base of operations. His educated guess proved to be correct. It led to the invasion of the building and the execution of his target. However, he would curiously stumble upon Cassandra Hawthorne. Initially believing her to be a victim, he decided to rescue her on the spot.
When he read Elizabeth’s research, Gerald quickly treated her coldly. The man feared that he saved a vampire, who could kill him with ease. With his mind ruled over by the information, Gerald purposely kept his emotional distance. He decided to use Cassandra as a tool, much like a mystic code, to help him make his goal a reality. Over time, Gerald began to feel attached to her. It is not long before he develops deep-rooted guilt related to her treatment. His behavior made him no different than what he hated. Thus, Gerald changed the way he treats Cassandra. In the present, he acts like a father figure. He is constantly trying to find ways to improve the relationship.
Gerald is a man who is typically tired and grumpy. He often keeps himself busy, be it through work or being lost in his thoughts. Breaks are a rarity for him. The man often nearly crosses the line of being a workaholic. This desire to continuously work comes from the desire to fight against magus culture. The petty power struggles, unethical practices, and negligence make him feel sick. Initially, he did choose a diplomatic option for reform in his thesis as a student in the Clock Tower. However, its harsh rejection forced him down a darker path.
His speech can be rude or aggressive. He will say what he pleases about something and withholds information, if need be, without any shame. Although this behavior is unattractive, Gerald is skilled at forming connections or relationships. He is an intelligent man that knows how to speak to different people due to his upbringing. It is a skill he considers useful when conducting business with potential colleagues or clients.
Despite Gerald’s serious exterior and profession, he has a kind heart that yearns to bring justice to those affected by the dark side of magus culture. He is very empathetic to children born into the environment, who have no defense against it. Thus, he has no qualms about killing his targets. Every magus he chooses is related to what he despises the most based on intensive research. By killing them, he saves many. At least, that is what he thinks.
He likes people who earnestly try to improve themselves. If they want to learn something, Gerald will try to teach them. His initial approach is tough love but gradually softens as he becomes more attached to a person.
Gerald is aware his actions are ironic or hypocritical. He accepts the fact his actions or decisions are not ethical. Gerald tries not to paint it with a flowery image. However, he does dream of an ideal world from time to time.
Magecraft
Circuit Quality: B
Circuit Quantity: B-
Circuit Composition: normal
Element: Wind
Origin: Analysis
Magecraft: Detection
Detection is Gerald’s specialized magecraft he designed based on his elemental affinity. It allows him to be more acute with his surroundings by detecting disturbances in the air. He can collect information on sound waves based on the energy traveling through them. It allows him to discover what and where the source is. Gerald can manipulate the air to prevent his sound waves from traveling far or enhance what is created by others. The latter allows him to eavesdrop on conversations without blowing his cover or needing to remain close. It also serves as a defense to keep out of danger because he can detect when someone is nearby.
Runes
During his time with his biological family, Gerald studied runes. They were a secondary specialty to the Hallorans. Despite changing families, his dedication to the craft did not end. He typically inscribes the enhancements on objects or clothes. While his main use is for defensive purposes, he equips Cassandra with pure offensive runes.
Mystic Code
Although Gerald has dabbled in several types of mystic codes, he usually uses an earpiece that accentuates his detection magecraft. It increases the radius he can investigate. There are also settings to mute other sound waves to focus on a specific type of energy or vibrations in the air. He uses this on missions for near complete accuracy and efficiency when pursuing and taking out a target.