Nolan Houdini

"The soul of freedom."

- Ashy

Nolan Houdini (ノーラン・フーヂニ, Nōran Hūdini) is an who wanders across the entirety of  on perilous. He is a mage who has been classified as a based on his completion of extremely difficult “SS-Class” and “10 Year” jobs across war-ridden countries such as  and. Despite his fame as Nolan the Mediator (口利きのノーラン, Kuchikiki no Nōran), however, the powerful mage has a very humble background.

Nolan had been placed into the slave trade very early in his life so that his parents could continue to pay off the enormous debt they had as a result of their alcohol and gambling addiction. Eventually, a young Harry Houdini would abolish the said slave trade while on a job as part of, leading him to notice Nolan, who was brimming with magical potential. Following the children being placed into an orphanage within, Harry had adopted Nolan against his family’s wishes, raising him as less of a son and more of a student within the arts of magic.

Eventually, Nolan grew to become a powerful mage, independently gaining access to jobs that only the strongest of individuals could hope to adventure on. However, following Harry’s announcement to retire as a member of the, Nolan returned to Fiore in hopes of challenging him and taking the honorary position to continue the legend’s legacy.

Appearance
Nolan is a man distinguished by his extremely refined appearance despite some of his actions showing otherwise. His presence within any situation is one that immediately calls for attention despite his rather simplistic features. Ironically, despite originating from the lower-class, Nolan has had a surprisingly attractive physical appearance following his adoption into the Houdini Family, indicating that his parents were responsible for the plight that Nolan’s physical condition had been through when he was a younger man.

Nolan is noted for his sharp facial features. He has a long, angular facial structure which is made apparent by his defined jawline and rather pointy chin. In addition to this, he is noted for his sharp nose, thin lips, piercing grey eyes and short eyebrows – a sign of nobility he placed upon himself. In addition, he has highly stylistic hair that appears to get messy easy, however, especially considering the amount of battle he goes through. It is neck-length, with a fringe parting on the left and a few locks separately coming down near his nose. While normally wavy, it can quickly become straight and dull depending on what it exposes, hence why he normally covers his head significantly while in places with extreme climates. It should also be noted that, despite what his attire might suggest, Nolan is a man of a considerably muscular build. While not overly done due to his preference for the magical arts, it is clearly reflective of the intensive training he has gone through in order to tame the magic he does possess. The most noticeable part about his physique, however, is his stature. Given his reputation, one would assume that he is far more intimidating. However, he is strangely at a very average height, giving him the appearance of common nobility, rather than a powerful mage.

Nolan generally has two staple attires he wears for practical purposes. Given that he never has a single home to return to as a result of his continuous adventures, Nolan ensures the attire he wears is stylish, comfortable and practical for a wide variety of purposes. Nolan wears a somewhat simple black kimono, with notably large sleeves. It appears to be made out of a fabric that was harvested by the beast known as the Vulcan. In addition to this, Nolan wears a white sash around his waist to fasten the kimono, and wears simple straw sandals with white socks on his feet. Finally, the man wears a simple cloak over his attire in order to protect from extreme temperature changes. This is due to the unique properties of the cloak coming from an unnamed reptilian species, which allows it to, notably, resist extreme climate change by altering the magical properties of its skin. By harvesting its skin and using it for this purpose, Nolan enhances his ability to survive within the drastically changing climates of the areas with high-level ingredients. On the other hand, when not adventuring, Nolan replaces this somewhat bizarre cloak with a much more simple white. It is noted for its modernization by way of a noticeably high collar and golden lining across the entirety of the haori in order to add a unique sense of style to the article of clothing.

Personality
Nolan is an individual characterized by his desire for independence. Due to his background within slavery, Nolan fully understands the necessity for individuals - lawful and villainous alike - to desire their freedom above all else. As a result, the mage has an air of power but humility surrounding him at all times. He is someone who can be approached with virtually any problem and, due to the man's eagerness to prove his own worth, he will take it with no questions asked. Or at least that was what Nolan once believed in. His extensive experiences with people have told him otherwise. Despite what these experiences would normally do to a person's idealism, it had the almost opposite effect to Nolan's own. While retaining a sense of maturity about his ideals, he still jumps in almost foolhardily to solve the problems of other people, risking his own life for the sole reason of "freeing the soul" (魂お放つ, Tamashī o Hanatsu), a philosophy he has lived by for the majority of his lifetime.

A direct consequence of the nature of "freedom" that he pursues is that his mannerisms are considerably different to one who descends from nobility. Whilst many would attribute his rather direct mannerisms to his lower-class background, Harry and Donna both refute this claim. After all, they state that Nolan's frank, albeit polite nature, stems entirely from his desire to not be subject to authority without reason. In this case, the authority that he speaks of is the social norms that aristocracy tend to follow in order to appear as good role-models in the eyes of the public. Consequently, Nolan appears to talk with a polite tone to individuals who he has no reason to dislike. He is quite honest about his opinions and is fully willing to argue with others who believe that their opinions are concrete about a certain matter. In fact, he engages in healthy debates often, something which he often engages Harry's precious time in whenever Nolan comes to visit the old man.

Although one might appear to believe that Nolan's emotional state cannot be penetrated as a consequence of his considerable experience and wisdom over the years, Nolan's behavior would say something else entirely. Nolan, while being a patient man, has his limits. However, his anger can be demonstrated in two specific ways: his comical anger at the smaller things that irritate him, or his silent anger. His silent anger, causing him to be labelled as "Man of the Demonic Fury" (魔狂の漢, Makyō no Otoko) later in his life, is one that is caused by his provocation to issues that are very sensitive to him. Among these are and, both of which he was exposed to as a young child. These traumatic experiences, combined with his innate morality, leaves him to be a terrifying individual to confront when he is in this state. A shining example of his persuasion was during a confrontation with the 's elite, where he single-handedly forced them to be compelled to send him on the mission to exterminate an entire alliance of that attempted to revive 's slave trade, a sheer indication of his powers of persuasion.

Magical Abilities
Arc of Reality (現実のアーク, Genjitsu no Āku) is an extremely powerful Caster–Type Lost Magic that was only available to Nolan following an encounter with Abramelin within the castle known as. Given the reputation of Abramelin as a spell-merchant, even the Royal Family wanted to know of the spells that the man had been selling, as a means to ensure that their safety wasn't compromised by his wares. On the other hand, Nolan had been safeguarding a certain member of the Royal Family who had gone an international expedition and had only just returned to Mercurius on the day the two encountered one another. Abramelin, well aware of Nolan's reputation, decided to give the man a magic tome that he had purchased, knowing that, within Nolan's hands, it would be made to good use. While the exact nature of the tome wasn't known to Nolan, he had heard rumors of the powerful magic. Thus, he decided to pursue it with his mentor's supervision until he eventually made the magic his signature attribute; all at the age of 21.

Arc of Reality has a rather simply phrased ability: manipulation of individual perception of reality. Reality, as it is known to people, is very subjective. It is based off of what the brain knows to "complete" the image that it already has. Therefore, reality is something known to be very subjective to the majority of individuals. The Arc of Reality, while sounding like a magic that manipulates existing reality, it actually does the opposite. The nature of the magic actually subjects another's "personal reality" (自分だけの現実,パーソナルリアリティ), Pāsonaru Riariti lit. "Reality of Oneself") under scrutiny, thereby causing them to lose the willpower to fight as their reality crumbles away beneath itself. The method in which the magic functions is through a "magic link" (マジックリンク Majikku Rinku). A magic link is one formed through Nolan exerting his magic within a specific radius. So long as his magical aura surrounds both himself and his opponent, this may be achieved. Following the establishment of this magic link, Nolan may impart the effects of the Arc of Reality on his opponent. Through manipulating the electrical signals within the brain by way of magic, Nolan may impart certain visions to the opponent within the radius of his magical energy. The effects of this are varied, and are decided by Nolan based on what he wants his opponents to imagine at any given time.

Notably, despite the potential for mental deterioration with this magic, Nolan's use of it differs very significantly. Nolan, as a man who vouches for the earning of freedom, places his enemies in an elaborate illusion that forces them to go to their limits – both physical and mental – in order for Nolan to truly gauge their desperation for freedom. A reflection of this would be Nolan's construction of an "ultimate defense", manipulating his surrounding environment to make it impossible for his opponent to truly land a blow. While appearing virtually impenetrable, the magic has a few weaknesses. If Nolan were to go "out of character" with the use of his this magic – use something he is normally unable to – an opponent might realize that they have been placed under an illusion and break through it. Likewise, if they notice certain inconsistencies between the immediate environment and the environment outside of the radius given, then they can break through the illusion. Finally, the concentration and quantity of magic required for the magic to be performed effectively is something that Nolan is unable to produce for an extended period of time without succumbing to exhaustion.
 * Annihilation of Objectivity (客観性の壊滅, Kyakkansei no Kaimetsu): A spell that requires Nolan to temporarily break his primary principle of allowing the opponent to gain freedom temporarily. Using the almost limitless capabilities of his magic and placing it under the jurisdiction of his unique Sword Magic style, Nolan may proceed to create a confined area defined by the radius of the swords surrounding Nolan and his opponent(s). This confined area is one that is almost impossible to escape from, unless one has great flight capabilities, which can also be blocked quite easily. This spell prevents the opponent from exiting the radius which Arc of Reality functions underneath optimal conditions, therefore allowing Nolan to completely and utterly destroy their perception on reality to the point where they would likely be kept in a state where their mental deterioriation forces them to be unable to even move. However, due to the consequences of the spell on the opponent, Nolan only restricts this spell on the most diabolical individuals in existence. Likewise, he ensures that it is used with great timing, for the sheer magical energy and concentration required to keep the spell active for more than a minute can even threaten to empty his own reserves, which have been actively increased with the addition of . Notably, the spell, when used alongside the ability to activate one's Second Origin gives it far more power and stability, in exchange for entirely destroying Nolan's moral code.
 * Arrival of Reality (現実の出現, Genjitsu no Shutsugen): This particular spell is one that Nolan always attempts to conclude a battle of the minds with. The moment his enemy feels remorse for their actions is the moment that Nolan initiates this spell. As the spell name might suggest, it functions around breaking the illusions formed by Arc of Reality. This is done through the sudden recollection of magical energy that Nolan has exerted in the environment, which has the appearance of shattering glass. The sudden return to reality forces the opponents to quiver in fear of Nolan's capabilities, which generally nullifies their will to fight further. Alternatively, Nolan can shatter and recreate alternate realities at a whim, making it impossible for his opponent to distinguish between reality and illusion.

Repel (撃退, Gekitai): Repel is a unique magic, the primary nature of which is almost instinctual when mastered to the point that Nolan has. The magic itself focuses around the nature of forces, in particular, forces of any kind that are directed towards Nolan himself. Due to Nolan's natural control over his own magical energy, this magic is perfect for making full use of this control. By actively keeping an aura of magical energy around him as he does for another magic of his, Repel consciously detects any force that goes within the proximity of this field. Given that Nolan makes the field five meters wide, it allows the magic plenty of opportunity to block any outside forces like its nature entails. The mechanisms of the magic is simple: through utilizing magical energy as a medium, Repel subsequently produces a counter-force to anything that has the intention of actively harming him within the said radius. These counter-forces may be in the shape of standard magical shields, or more complex forces such as intense heat to counter ice-based abilities or even rather powerful forces such as increasing the local gravitational pull. However, such an advantageous magic has a plethora of weaknesses: the cost of magical energy to sustain the magic is based both on the counter-force it produces as well as maintaining the field of magical energy, making it highly draining on reserves. Additionally, Repel may only block one force at any given time, unless it is split into multiple sections such as a single spell procuring multiple fireballs. Regardless of the restrictions placed on the magic, it is still a very potent magic and one that Nolan prides himself in mastering.

Requip (換装, Kansō)

Sword Magic (剣の魔法, Ken no Mahō)

Water Magic (水系各種魔法, Mizu Kei Kakushu Mahō)