Artemis Reznik

"Child of war."

- Phantom

Artemis Reznik (アーテミス レドズニク Ātemisu Redozuniku) is a mage of great potential, and is a member of the Independent Guild known as Desperados. Unlike the other guild members, he generally goes on missions with Raziel, but sometimes lets others accompany him. An aloof individual, Artemis suffers heartbreak like all of his guildmates after having lost their home. Artemis lost his home in a Guild War of epic proportions; decimating his guild and leaving him the sole survivor. After wandering the plains for ages with his companion, Raziel, Artemis was rescued by Randall Flagg and was recruited into the guild.

Appearance
Artemis is dignified predominantly by his frown and negative appearance. He is rarely smiling or grinning, and generally in a scowl most of the time. Such a scowl gives him a rather intimidating appearance; combined with his muscular body and tall stature, makes him for quite a gruff-looking teenager. He is noted to have a very muscular appear body, particularly concerning his abdomen, biceps and triceps; when noticeable with his generally form-fitting attire, it is hard for someone not to take a second glance. What is most distinct about Artemis' appearance is his rather dull gold hair; spiked and ruffled, with only a few clumps coming down his forehead, and complimenting this is his pair of dull golden eyes. Aside from this, he appears to have a single piercing on his left ear, wearing a silver stud, a chain around his neck and a black glove which is the core of his magical abilities.

He doesn't appear to have a set attire, but prefers to be in a black, sleeveless tank-top, a pair of dark green slacks and a pair of sneakers. Rarely will he be in any sort of formal attire, believing it to be a nuisance whenever he dons his magical armor.

Personality
Artemis is noted particularly for his rather solemn, dejected personality. Considering the recent past he was traumatized with, and the fact that his parents never truly considered him their own because of his "monstrous" abilities as a younger child. All he has ever found refuge in appears to be burnt asunder, causing him to be very distrustful of individuals that are in front of him. This was demonstrated evidently in his initial meeting with Luna Amatsugo, whom he challenged to a duel simply because she was new to the guild. Consequently, it is very difficult to approach Artemis unless you have known him for a long time, evident by the way he rejects everybody that attempts to do so, as he demonstrated aptly with Lloyd Ōkabe.

In accordance to his personality, Artemis is quite cold to those he meets. He is rarely respectful, and will address people with their first name almost always, believing honorifics should only be used for people who have proven their worth to you. Artemis has also demonstrated that within his conversations with other people, he uses a very bland tone of voice, along with short and sharp sentences in order to make sure things remain quiet as he likes them to. But he has shown to have a quick temperament, which is labelled prominently through veins popping on his head, which is a comedic gesture most are used to.

However, Artemis does appear to be dedicated to his cause, shown by the way he dabbles into the most extreme scenarios for several of his missions, especially when it involves Dark Mages. He has a passionate hate for any and all Dark Guilds, regardless of their affiliation, mainly because of his past. For this reason, he will commonly go against all orders in order to destroy them; risking his life like it's nothing but a plaything. To this extent, he appears to enjoy fighting those that he isn't familiar with, as he reminds himself of the day that his guild was destroyed and relishes in the opportunity of their destruction.

What is also notable about Artemis is his dedication to truly protect his comrades and those he trusts. Considering that his trust and sincerity to another person is extremely hard to achieve, Artemis adopts an entirely new personality whenever he is dealing with them. This is shown through sincere gestures, remarks and an overall nicer demeanor as opposed to his more cold demeanor regularly expressed. Albeit, in this regard, his familiarity also increases, making him more prone to show a very child-like, temperamental side of himself.

Mikasa Ludenberg


Mikasa Ludenberg has been described by many as the entire world to Artemis. The two met under rather ordinary circumstances; Artemis was infatuated with Mikasa, and then Mikasa ignored him. It was the start of a simple friendship, kindling into something akin to a fraternal relationship, or perhaps even greater than that. Prior to her death, Artemis and Mikasa were the closest people in the world to one another. They had both gone through circumstances that left them alne, but in entirely opposite manners. For this reason, Mikasa and Artemis felt drawn to one another, and allowed them to convey their hearts deepest secrets without any hesitation. They were the greatest team, the best of friends and everything else that a successful pair could be described as. The two were rarely apart from one another, and when they were, they would contact one another as fast as they could. But they both realized that sometimes they needed space from one another, and so their relationship was rarely strained, allowing them to prosper as both people and mages alike.

Upon her death, Artemis' entire being, entire soul, was almost thrown away from him. His entire world was destroyed before his eyes and he could do nothing to stop it from occurring. Since then, he had wondered for a significant period of time alone, many times contemplating some sort of vengeance against the world or suicide. But after meeting Raziel, he began to understand the value of Mikasa's last words and actions, and thus directed all of his anger, sadness and everything else against the Dark Guilds of the world, who were responsible for the death of the person closest to him.

It should be noted that mentioning Mikasa in any way, shape or form is a very touchy subject for Artemis to handle. He won't talk about it with anyone aside from Raziel, and when anybody else mentions it, he will quickly avert the topic before his emotions take over his personality.

History
Artemis was born in a small town of Fiore, apparently near the Trading Guild known as. He was brought up as a normal young man, except that he had a large volume of magical energy; or specifically, the ability to absorb a large level of Eternano from the environment. His parents didn't know this, and thought that Artemis was a frail young boy as a consequence. Artemis was regularly kept inside his house and bed-ridden, until one day his parents brought a nurse who was also adept in solving magical problems. This nurse was known as, who was paid great sums of money to help out with Artemis' problems, despite hating humans.

Upon seeing the boy's condition, Porlyusica instantly figured out that Artemis was in-fact absorbing a tremendous level of Eternano from the atmosphere, which his body could not consciously contain. She then told his parents to send him off to a magical guild, particularly one who were proficient in the likes of Sealing Magic. Thus, he entered the guild who were known as the Fūzetsu Guild. Because they were a long distance away, the parents implored them to adopt their child after giving them the reasons told to them by Porlyusica. The Guild Master accepted their conditions and adopted the child on their behest.

Only a few days later, when Artemis was in somewhat stable condition, did the Guild Master dare do anything. Using his proficiency in the sealing arts, he drew specific Runes on Artemis' arms and torso, which wouldn't be exposed unless he activated magic willingly. And thus, his teachings with magic began. For about a month he was taught how to willingly access his own reserves of Eternano and project them outward. When he finally was able to do so, is when something unexpected happened.

Releasing this magic caused the runes to deteriorate almost entirely, putting him in a comatose state. The mages were dumbfounded; trying everything but to absolutely no avail. They then called upon the greatest Sealing Mage they knew in all of history that was alive, otherwise known as Hannibal Lecter. Hannibal immediately realized that this man's capability for absorbing magical energy surpassed anybody else, and that blocking all of it was stupidity more than anything else.

Hannibal soon provided runes that went on his neck, both of his wrists, his heart and at the center of his abdomen. These runes would seal off three quarters of his Eternano absorption. However, it would also provide Artemis with the capability of flowing the magical energy much more freely within his body, thereby enhancing his physical prowess substantially.

Hannibal stayed with Artemis for a couple of years in the guild, teaching him all he knew about Rune Magic and its various applications to a master of the art of sealing. Artemis learned with diligence, and happiness that he could finally do things other people with great health did, like the mages of his guild. Artemis grew to love the guild, grew to love Hannibal and above all, finally grew to love life. At the age of 13, Artemis met the girl known as Mikasa Ludenberg. Artemis was immediately infatuated by her, not romantically or the like, but simply because she was so...different to him. This difference was like an opposing pole of a magnet, which caused him to quickly go and approach her, since she was a new member of the guild. Mikasa was initially indifferent to Artemis, finding him to be quite annoying. Though this diminished Artemis' resolve, the other guild members encouraged him to keep trying, and so he did.

One day, Mikasa went out on a mission, but a dangerous one. The Guild Master coerced Mikasa into taking Artemis, the former grudgingly accepting the offer. On the mission, everything was going rather smoothly until an unexpected ambush from a Dark Guild arrived. Mikasa and Artemis put their all into the fight, but were overpowered. Mikasa was on the verge of dying, as a member of the said Dark Guild projected a powerful beam of darkness against her. Artemis' rage caused him to unlock the seals placed onto him, absorbing the entirety of the darkness blast and all of the magical energy from the Dark Guild members, before collapsing under stress.

Mikasa immediately tended to his wounds, but could do nothing about the excess magical energy in his body. That was until Hannibal appeared, who had been following them after seeing the mission description. Quickly, he resealed the runes on his body, and Artemis fell asleep. Hannibal carried him back to the guild, when he finally woke up. Mikasa held tears in her eyes as she patiently waited for him to wake up, and immediately embraced him. Artemis was confused, but he was happy. He finally obtained a figure that he could talk to, about anything and everything.

So, for the next year, Artemis and Mikasa had formed a team, otherwise known as Team Trident. Though the guild questioned the name, as they only had two members, Artemis and Mikasa thought of it as an inside joke. They went on several missions together, and had what was known as the best performance in the guild. Both of them were so skilled that they were chosen as candidates for the position of S-Class.

And then Artemis' world turned upside down. The same guild which Artemis and Mikasa defeated that fateful day arrived once again, but with reinforcements. The guild was known as the Dark Guild, who were reinforced by five teams of the elite assassination guild,. The entire guild was massacred in a few minutes, and only Mikasa and Artemis were the survivors. Mikasa was adamant though, and rather foolish at the same time.

She used her magic to create a void of sorts within her, causing any and all physical matter and magical energy to be directed towards her, while sacrificing herself. Artemis wished to save her, but Mikasa made a barrier not letting him do so prior. As the Death's Head Caucus had escaped, over half of Naked Mummy was eradicated, which would later cause their subservience in to occur.

Dying with a smile on her face, and a single tear in her eyes, Artemis screamed as she fell to the ground. The entire guild was eradicated, and all that was left was Artemis. He cried, made a tantrum, screamed and everything else that a normal person would do. His entire life was destroyed before his eyes...and all he could do was watch.

Wandering across the plains for a few days, without food and water, Artemis soon collapsed near a small town. He was found by a wolf, who would pick him up and drag him into the nearest home, which was his. Artemis was taken care of until he woke up. When he saw the family, he was reminded of his guild and quickly ran as fast as he could. The wolf soon followed, but Artemis kept running away.

But Artemis encountered a titanic beast, one that had plagued the surrounding homes for quite some time. The wolf stood up against it however, revealing its true form as a powerful mage. It used its powers to repel the beast, and just as it was about to be overpowered, Artemis assisted. He used his elemental conjuration runes to trap him in a vortex of the elements, allowing for the wolf-mage to finally destroy it.

The wolf revealed his name as Raziel, and described his situation as a mage plagued with a curse from a younger age for abusing his powers. Artemis decided that he'd try his hardest to unlock the curse as repayment, but Raziel denied his offer. All he asked was that he [Raziel] could accompany him, to which Artemis readily agreed. So Raziel and Artemis wandered the plains together for two years. The two trained together relentlessly, for Artemis' goal was the entire eradication of Death's Head Caucus, Naked Mummy and any other Dark Guild associated with them. They appeared to end up in the city of after a lot of effort, and were in particular searching for information about Dark Guilds. Coincidentally, Randall Flagg was in the midst of going to a date when he realized that his magic was picking up on something unusual. He scanned around, and all he found was Raziel and Artemis in the middle of the street; their eyes wandering to find something or the other. Randall appeared before them, told them his name, and gave them a proposition.

After hearing the proposition, Artemis and Raziel were excited, after two years of searching, they had found something getting them closer to their goal. And so, they accepted the offer. Moving to the Desperados' Guild Building, with only Alejandro Malberg welcoming them. The arena was set, and the battle begun. Artemis and Randall fought; though Randall was holding back significantly, the fact that he was forced into a corner where he used one of his signature magic made Artemis a worthy contender. Then Raziel fought Randall; even as a wolf, his capabilities were enough to astound Randall, and after morphing into a human, he forced Randall to use Noah's Ark, something which immediately got him into the guild.

From therein, Artemis and Raziel have worked together with the entire guild to eradicate any trace of Dark Guilds, while growing stronger at the same time.

Synopsis
Main Storyline = Rebirth of the Past Saga Roleplays =
 * Times of Jolly Despair
 * Golden Silence
 * Dwelling in Chaos
 * Beneath the Sea

Equipment
Gōma (降魔 Conquering the Demon) is an unorthodox magic battlesuit of sorts that Artemis gained a year prior to his admission into Desperados. He apparently received it as an award for completing a deadly mission, though the exact details behind it aren't known. Artemis rarely uses this battlesuit, unless the battle that he is about to enter extremely dangerous; accordingly so, the full scope of this suit's abilities aren't known.

Gōma's top is lined with magically enhanced fabric that sticks onto the wielder like glue; being extremely form-fitting and revealing Artemis' prominent muscular figure. it is long-sleeved, and has a zip of sorts running down to the center of his chest. On both of his hands appear to be gauntlets that have inscribed runes of various elements on them, and with the power of Gōma, they can activate passively without Artemis' command. At his waist, there is a belt with a silver clip, that also holds a bag filled with an unnamed substance that appears to paint his runes onto the physical world. His pants are slacks lined with less magical fabric, and are kept fitting with belts on them. Finally, his footwear appear to be Lachrima-imbued, enhancing his speed substantially. Otherwise, not much is known about the battlesuit, due to Artemis' insistence on not using it.

Natural Abilities
Enhanced Speed and Agility: Artemis has demonstrated high levels of speed and agility; easily maneuvering through difficult terrain, performing high jumps, rolls and other acrobatic feats with little effort, and even while talking to Raziel. It also doesn't seem to drain him of too much stamina, an impressive feat considering the terrain the two were working with.

He commonly utilizes high-speed exchanges with his enemy, using a style reminiscent of traditional of sorts. Combined with his expertise in Palm Magic, this makes him quite a deadly opponent.

Magical Abilities
Rune Magic (経典の魔法 Literally meaning; Magic of Sacred Scriptures) is a form of magic Artemis has possessed since he was about 10 years old. He was initially taught the basics by his Guild Master in order to keep the runes on his body active, but considering their failure, he was soon taught by the greatest Sealing Mage in existence, Hannibal Lecter. His skills had advanced to a point where regular Rune Magic practitioners who had witnessed his proficiency in the magic would simply be dumbfounded! What is notable about Artemis' use of Rune Magic isn't in the sheer number of spells he possesses, but rather, it's in the smaller number of spells he does have, and his ability to combine them and make them even more deadly than the norm. He appears to use runes that he studied under Hannibal, and has two different categories: elemental and supplementary. The elemental runes are based off the principle of the, otherwise known as the Five Elements, and thus comprise of the elements Fire, Water, Wood, Metal and Earth. While this is the case with his elemental runes, his supplementary runes appear to work in the manipulation of the states of matter of the said elements, along with a few additional runes he taught himself. The capacity to utilize the said spells in succession, along with magnifying their power and using them in fatal combinations, makes Artemis a profound expert in Rune Magic. Artemis is also known to possess tremendous levels of theoretical knowledge when it comes to runes, almost as if he has memorized every known rune in existence. He can recognize and nullify almost any type of scripture with nothing but sheer memory, drawing counter-runes to dissipate the effects these have on other individuals. For this reason, Artemis is known to be almost immune to magic such as Dark Écriture, Jutsu Shiki and the like, for the fluidity in which he dissipates them is undeniably shocking.
 * Wû Xíng (五行 Chinese for; Five Elements)
 * Huǒ (火 Chinese for; Fire): Huǒ is a rune in which, he draws the said rune and causes flames of varying magnitude to appear in front of him, or in the medium which the rune is drawn on. This is a rune that Artemis uses quite often when a combat situation arises. He has shown to alter the level of power the fire rune possesses, as well as what shape the flames take upon being released into the atmosphere. Another demonstration of his aptitude in the spell is that he may utilize the spell cleverly enough to counter spells of polar elements with great ease, as well as alter how long the spell persists on burning his enemy, releasing potent heat that requires a magical shield in order to correctly block, shown in his battle against Luna Amatsugo
 * Mù (木 Chinese for; Wood)
 * Tǔ (土 Chinese for; Earth): Tǔ is a rune which allows Artemis to conjure or manipulate existing earth depending on where he casts the rune. When cast onto the ground, he can manipulate earthen substances in a variety of manners, expressed most prominently as a trap to capture Luna.
 * Jīn (金 Chinese for; Metal)
 * Shuǐ (水 Chinese for; Water): Shuĭ is a rune in which the user draws the rune upon a medium, bringing out the innate moisture within the said medium which is magnified through the use of . Exactly how much water he can produce at a single time isn't known, but he has shown to counter assaults of a single level of power with notable ease.


 * Ehwaz (エーワズ Ēwazu "Lit"; Teamwork, Harmony and Cooperation)

Palm Magic (掌魔法 Tenohira Mahō) is the secondary magic of Artemis, and the one he uses when runes are incapable, or impractical in a situation. Due to runes focusing so much on precision and accuracy, Artemis can quickly get overwhelmed in a battle if he isn't focused; using this magic, Artemis can override this weakness substantially. It works in a simple way, that being to channel magical energy into his palms in order to bolster their strength. He uses this quite efficiently in his fighting style, and has in fact altered it slightly so that the magical energy remains concentrated while he puts his hand in a fist formation, allowing for higher levels of brute strength to be used, which is much easier to orientate with his muscular definition.

Additionally, he has shown great control over his magical energy, projected primarily through his Palm Magic and Magical Aura. Transmigration Circle Style (生死流転流 Shōjiruten-ryū): A form of combat exclusive to Artemis, and developed by him only recently. Therefore, it is incomplete and quite difficult to use in a practical situation. However, from the small amount of detail exposed by Artemis on the form of combat, it revolves around the concept of , in that it uses Artemis' own magical power to forge several magical sigils which may be used to empower his abilities. Magical Circles are thought to be the conduits of all spells, bypassing the requirement of an incantation so-to-speak because the formula within the Magical Circle activates the spell. For this reason, those individuals who are able to actually bypass the use of a circle are considered elite mages with daunting levels of magical power; an example of this being. By imbuing the magical circle with his own magical power, and forging it specifically for a purpose, Artemis may use these to enhance his own physical and magical ability. To what extent he may do this isn't known, but it has shown a number of uses.
 * Fierce Magical Aura: Artemis' magical aura is fierce and a prominent aspect of his fighting style. He demonstrates efficiency in its use, evident through his ability to blast away even Heavenly Body Magic spells directed at him with a single, focused projection of his aura, leaving him relatively unharmed aside from minor burns and charring of clothing. He later demonstrated the ability to use the aura as a form of intimidation, in which it was colored a bright gold, interlaced with the aura of wispy flames similar in composition to the Flame of Rebuke.
 *  (魔法吸入 Mahō Kyūnyū)


 * Revolving Circle (転輪 Tenrin)


 * Circle of Abyss (淵の丸 Fuchi no Maru)

Trivia

 * Artemis has completed 64 in total: 44 Normal, 20 S-Class, 0 10-Year, 0 100-Year.
 * Artemis' theme song is Contractor, an OST in the Pandora Hearts series.
 * Artemis features in Volume One: Of the Seas and Skies of Fairy Tail: Flocking Home, with several trivia points mentioned on the page.

Behind the Scenes

 * All images used to represent Artemis' general appearance in this article are from the character Martin Hawk drawn by the artist Luen Kulo. All credit goes to the said artist for their drawings.
 * Artemis' name was inspired by two places:
 * His first name was inspired by Artemis Fowl II from the Artemis Fowl book series.
 * His surname was inspired by Trevor Reznik from The Machinist movie.


 * Artemis' images for his "Transmigration Circle Style" were taken from the manga Beelzebub. The concept of the fighting style was mildly inspired by the series as well.

Creation & Conception
Artemis' creation wasn't necessarily inspired by a whole lot of things. In essence, I wanted a character who was fit to be the main character of a story. This meant a variety of things for me, such as holding a past that people sympathized with, an attitude that wouldn't be considered cliché, along with a power level and personality that could be molded and developed along the course of a series, no matter how short or long it was.

Thus, the concept of Artemis was brought from a number of places now that I think back on it. The first inspirations were definitely and. As you can tell, both of their pasts were rather traumatic for them, and helped to develop their character, despite how badly that reflects in the Shōnen situation they have been pitted into. Personality-wise, he was partially influenced by Ichigo Kurosaki, in that he attempted to act cool, but truly had passion for things that he learned to care about. Overall, the entire demographic of losing a loved one and subsequently wanting to exact some sort of vengeance to gain retribution is the theme that drove Artemis' creation. As such, unlike other Shōnen heroes, to some extent, Artemis has a goal that he wishes to achieve in his life, which eventually leads to future plot complications in the story.

Ability-wise...well, I don't really know what I was thinking when I gave him Rune Magic. I suppose I needed a justification for his unique ability to absorb Eternano and how it remains with him, without causing a coma for, well, ever. As such, I took sealing and letter magic as one of the better options for his magic. Because the magic is so dynamic and creative, along with suiting with my tastes for literature, it became an integral part of his fighting style. Along with this, I suppose his status as a Magic Slayer was meant for a unique dynamic in Artemis' powers, which will be explored later on in the story when the opportunity arises.