Havoc-Masu, Hilda

HISTORY:

→ Birth. To come into this world, the sum of the parts of one's joint creators, the additive total of each side of your chromosomal foundation, the very combinatorial slurry of genetics and DNA that lends itself to our very entry into this world, a thoroughly grandiose and spectacular entrance indeed.

Birth. The horrible Shelley-esque massacre of one's humanity, replacing that which was once man with nothing but monstrosity and hideous, repulsive, ungodly mangled flesh, the terrible destruction of all that is sacred, the travesty of sundering the bounds of that which makes us distinct from the beasts and the savages, that which holds us firmly apart from the very heart of the darkness that threatens with ultimate finality to envelop us, to cover us, to shroud us in its pestilential embrace, to smother out the flame of human life as we know it.

Birth. The revolutionary rise of a phoenix from the ashes of humanity asunder, the soaring of a lone eagle over the vast unknown, over the lands of the savages, over the river between man and beast, over the civilized world of humans and law and order, the creation of something beautiful, something mystical, something magical, something that death itself dare not tarnish with unworthy hand, the genesis of an idea, a novel and new idea, the beginning of the beginning of all things past, present, and future, the tender and wary first stroke of the brush on the first painting of the world's first painter of canvas, a well and true novelty, something new... The Tiberians might have used the word "Novus." And I, Nylia Havoc-Masu, better known as Nyx, would wholeheartedly agree with their elegant diction.

Birth. It is something I know better than anybody, and it is the beginning of the most important story ever told... The birth of the future of all mankind.

The birth of Hilda Evelyn Schwartz von Havoc-Masu.

I need to emphasize the circumstances of this birth, so as to put everything into perspective.

The year was 2017 when the traitorous Red Ribbon Rebellion and those backstabbing legions of a man who'd previously offered an alliance, Wolfgang Murinyo, stormed the Kremlin. I was young and foolish then; I couldn't see the storms on the horizon, and my father was too weary and weak at the time to predict the omens of things to come, either. Helpless to fate, I was forced to defend the throne room with poor, sweet, Kit- the vile beast of a man who so fiercely attacked him very nearly killed me as well, breaking my bow arm and leaving a nasty scar on my right shoulder to this day. In the end, countless scores of our loyal men were slain, and I was lucky to escape with my father, very much alive.

We had fallen, but it was not the end- not so long as my mind remained intact, we would not be defeated. At hardly twenty years of age, I had to handle myself of the few survivors of that gruesome assault; whereas I could once turn to my father to be my rock, to lean on his words and insight, now I had to be the very same rock for he and all the others. We flew by helicopter to the Great Desert, and it was there that we began to plan for our regrouping; Drachma was no longer ours. We were forced to take refuge in the only place that would welcome us; caves of isolation, empty caves.

A year or two later, we were gone from the public eye, and I was able to make several trips into Amestris, in disguise. I found Sal, and I was happy, for a while. But I knew I couldn't abandon the principles and ideals of RIOTE; a world at peace was far more valuable than one person's happiness. And I knew that to achieve that goal, sacrifices were to be made. I did something I never wanted to have to do; by my own hand, I made the decision to damn my own child to a live like my own, the tattered humanity of being an alchemical creation, a chimera.

I could do nothing by my self; I was too well-known, it would be too risky. And I was not strong enough. It pains me to say it, but what was necessary for world peace was the continuation of Charles Gregory's work, his Perfect Angel. But I could not normally give birth, as a chimera, myself...

But I was not merely a chimera; I was a Bearer, and with alchemy on my side, I took it upon myself to do what needed to be done; I hired an alkahestrist, one who could assist the purification of the necessary samples of reproductive cells to be used; working in tandem with him, the animal genes were removed, leaving only human DNA; reproduction was made possible, although highly risky.

And, unfortunately, the risk was only further increased; fertilized in vitro, the egg was then infused with the DNA of a Cretan bald eagle- the very same DNA removed during the fertilization process. This was to ensure that the child would be of the same species as myself, but due to the nature of the creation, a far superior version; a Generation 6 chimera.

And so, nine months later,in 2022, I narrowly pulled through, setting everything into motion. A sweet little girl, with tufts of curly gray-ish white hair was born, red eyed, just like her father. Eyes that would see the change in the world, eyes that would guide her hands to reach out and touch infinity, eyes that would direct her feet down the path of righteousness, eyes that would see the world change in her very wake- that would see the change in not only the world, the universe. Would change everything...

Hilda... Her name would be Hilda. In memory of the closest woman I ever had to a mother, myself. Hilda. Yes, a lovely name. Hild would have been proud.

Novus. With the birth of Hilda, the birth of Novus arose; lit anew by the flames of idealism, and myself able to do much more now, I gathered a few men. I called in a few favors in Xing, men who were around in Ace's day and age. Ahh, Ace... I was so young then... Had it been so long since he'd died? Fortunately, there were still men who had known him, and with some convincing, I garnered a meeting with the current emperor, Qin. We spoke for a while, and negotiated for quite some time. We worked out a deal. Novus had a place in Xing, where nobody would ever found us. Things were going according to plan.

Settling down, I continued gathering loyal and good followers. It was about this time that I came upon an epiphany of sorts; RIOTE had fallen because its goals were too broad, too  big. Atlas could bear the weight of the world on his shoulders, of course, but we were not Atlas; we had called ourselves by the names of Gods, of Titans, of Xerxian mythos, but we were mere mortals, no more and no less, no matter how we proclaimed to the world that we were different.

But a recurring pattern struck me as odd, and I took a lot of time to think about such things. Eventually, it was all very clear to me; alchemy. Alchemy was the original sin, the pride of man's belief that he can alter his surroundings at will, with no harm done to himself. It was the reason chimerae existed, many suffering, and it was the reason that blood was spilled so profusely. Alchemy was the scourge of the Earth, and so it became my enemy. I sought to destroy it.

Thus, Novus was devoted to this cause, a worthy cause indeed, and with new and improved methods, it was a cause that could very well see fruition, but I knew that it would not win the war in my day; the battle, yes, many battles, even, but while fruit would be bared, the sweetest would come long after I was dead and gone.

This was Hilda's ultimate purpose; to be raised, as I had been by my father, to one day continue my works, the works of two generations, carrying them on into a third, and perhaps more; a legacy would be left, and it was hers to graciously accept, when the time came. For now, she was to be taught and cherished. She was my shining beacon of light, in dark times, and there would be many of those.

Yes, there would be many...