Shadow

Shadow is one of the protagonists and the titular character of The Ultimate Familiar. He is also one of the Gandálfr, having his runes provided by his master/lover, Tiffania.

Apperance
Prior to his arrival in Halkeginia, Shadow was a Mobian hedgehog with black fur with a silver white patch on his chest and several crimson marks on his quills, arms, and legs. His accessories include white gloves with gauntlets that hold his inhibitor rings, and his air shoes. His eyes had a red orange color that appeared fiery due to the lighting.

After arriving in Halkeginia, Shadow underwent a drastic change. He becomes a human being through unknown circumstances (though he retains much of his original appearance). The white fur on his chest becomes a white neckerchief. He also possesses a black coat, which he usually wears during the cold months. He now wears a black shirt, dark gray pants with a ripped hole on the right leg with a belt at the waist. His quills became his hair, but he retains his hedgehog ears. An interesting part of his appearance is the red spiral mark on his back, which he reveals is from fragments of the destroyed Black Comet, which injured him when he protected the Space Colony ARK. His eyes are now a soft crimson color. He wears a black glove on his left hand to conceal the runes granted to him. He also sports a mysterious flame (the flame spirit, Hien) that burns on his chest. The flame changes in color based on which elemental ability he uses, though it can change into a different color, albeit briefly from emotions (turning a pale gold color when Tiffania held him close).

Personality
Shadow, in spite his quiet and brooding demeanor, is not at all as it seems. Due to years of questioning, Shadow was originally looking for answers to find his way in life after ten years from fighting the Black Arms. His isolation grew worse as the people of Mobius and Earth in conjunction feared him.

Upon arriving in Halkeginia and meeting with Tiffania, Shadow slowly begins to change and mellow down for the better. He becomes more open, willing to speak with others. Despite this new change in mood, he does go into bouts of anger, especially when his friends are under threat. He develops a protective instinct with Tiffania and his friends, ensuring they’re safe, regardless whether he takes damage for them or not.

Shadow is noted to be very perceptive of those around him. He thinks and correctly assumes of situations which were proven true on his count (i.e deducing a trap was laid when retrieving the Staff of Destruction, finding the thief who stole the Royal Treasure while framing Louise’s elder sister). However, there are exceptions which his deductions are false, mainly due to characters acting suspicious. However, upon seeing a redeeming action, he later regrets not trusting them.

For all of his strength, Shadow doesn’t like using his natural Chaos powers. Because of the ridicule in Mobius, he feels in becoming more of a monster whenever he relies on his dark Chaos powers. This is evident by the fact he not only stopped a group of hired mercenaries from killing Henrietta, who was a princess at the time, but also spared their lives without killing them.

Despite his newly pacifistic development, he does show moments when his anger can be profound. Most of the time, the anger is targeted at the offending person in question, whether a minor enemy or one with a deep vendetta. Regardless, most victims of his rage end up either surviving but mentally scarred or killed in a brutal fashion. Shadow dislikes resorting to his anger, even if it was a last resort.

Abilities
Despite being turned into a human, Shadow retains his connection to the Chaos Force, including his natural abilities. He can use Chaos related powers, such as his signature Chaos Spear and Chaos Control. He can perform the Homing Attack, Spin Dash, and the Light Speed Attack, though his human body limits to how much force he can endure. Due to his natural speed, he can easily break the sound barrier. This allows him to create twisters by moving in a circle at fast speeds alone. Shadow possesses the ability to manipulate the 4 elements around him, making him able to perform feats similar to performing magic without using a wand. He can use Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind in any way possible. The only limitation is he cannot use over two abilities of any elemental attack, lest he suffers from a staggering headache.

In addition to his Chaos and elemental abilities, Shadow possesses the mysterious ability from the runes that read Gandálfr. The power of the runes allow him to master any weapon designed for battle. According to Shadow, the effect of the runes is akin to doping, due to how it makes him ‘proficient and lighter’. However, this power is not without faults. If he takes serious damage, his body won’t be able to handle the backlash when powering down, which will make him collapse.

Equipment
Zenyōso: Shadow's signature sword. It's a sentient spirit sword made of mithril ore with a mithril diamond at the base of its rain guard. In its normal form, the sword is a silver white color with the mithril diamond glowing a light blue color. The mithril diamond is surrounded by the cross guard, which appears like folded wings. There's a smaller gem directly at the pommel. The diamond has the ability to absorb spirit tears from elemental spirits, allowing the sword to change its appearance. Oddly enough, his friend, Saito, is capable of wielding the sword's different forms, but nowhere near the extent to Shadow's power. The sword has the curious ability to turn into a girl named Arjean.
 * Fire form: The sword changes into an o-katana with its blade constantly in heated temperatures. A red gem is seen on the sword's tsuba, which is near a yellow chain attached near the cross guard and pommel. This gives the sword the ability to slice through everything thanks to the shape of the blade and the molecular temperature. The sword is capable of creating sharp waves of flames to extend its cutting range. During this form, Shadow wields it in the Iaido style, unlike the European two handed sword style. This allows him to slice down armor with ease, showing testament by slicing through a wall of earth several inches thick.
 * Wind form: The sword changes into a crimson blade with several green gems embedded on the rain guard (triangle shape) and the pommel. The cross guard has green gems and appears to be akin to sharp horns with a dull tip to prevent one from stabbing themselves accidentally, but with a sharp edge. The blade trades power for speed, enabling it to perform swift attacks or creating powerful gusts of wind. Most notably, he can create crescent shaped wind blades with considerable power. With just a single swipe, Shadow is capable of slicing an F5 tornado down with little difficulty in this maneuver.
 * D7B847B8-DABD-4BF2-8CB5-1E7D5DEC2ED1.jpegWater form: The sword changes into a light blue blade capable of channeling water. The blade is cold to the touch, sporting a blue gem darker than its normal form on the rain guard. Shadow is capable of creating tidal waves or beams of water. If needed, he can compress the waves of water into thin beams, allowing him to slice through multiple enemies when needed. By extension, he can create ice due to the molecular bonds from water itself, shaping them to stabbing weapons (He was able to conjure a salvo of ice javelins, literally creating a rain of death). The sword's power, by extension, allows him to move across water without being inhibited, even allowing him to breathe underwater. It proved to be a vital role for Shadow during his mental journey to unlock the elements' true power within the Realm of Fire.
 * Earth form: The sword changes into a brown, bronze color. The blade itself is very thick, appearing roughly similar to a large Celtiberian sword from the Iron Age with the rain guard bearing a yellow gem. On the sides, the cross-guard is made of rocks shaped into a wing formation with the pommel forming sharp spikes made of bronze. Shadow is able to unleash powerful attacks with this form alone. In essence, he can create earthquakes or manipulate the earth around him. Shadow noted the sword was very heavy and difficult to wield with effort due to the weight from its body, which slowed him down considerably. After some time training, the weight of the sword no longer affects him.

Transformations
Dark Shadow: Shadow achieves this form from drawing in the negative Chaos energy subconsciously. He first used this form against Count Mott after seeing Saito getting injured. His anger allows him to use the destructive powers of the Chaos Emeralds, making him more violent and instinct prone. His overall body becomes shrouded in a dark red aura. His eyes also begin to glow otherworldly red. During this state, the Chaos Emeralds, according to Tiffania, have become cold and darken near his presence.

Berserk Shadow: This form was unintentionally formed when Shadow’s rage exceeds his reasoning. In appearance, he looks similar to his Dark form, but it’s noticeably different due to the intense aura and bloodlust radiating from the transformation. During this state, Shadow cannot be reasoned with, making him a mindless killing machine. It took Silver’s psychokinesis to restrain, barely able to hold his movement. His power in tandem is more destructive than his dark form. However, usage of this transformation carries a heavy price. Continuous use causes his body to break down from the backlash. When Shadow transformed back to normal after confronting Turenne, the damaging effects caused him to cough out blood before being unconscious. This made Shadow feel ashamed, even fearing the people who witnessed it.

Asura Shadow: This form was the result of Shadow’s anger reaching beyond any threshold. His body becomes surrounded by a layer of gold, Chaos Energy. Even his blood becomes a gold color in response. His eyes have become an otherworldly white color. The amount of Chaos energy he exerts is immense compared to previous usages. Even his own bellows caused shockwaves that swept across the land. This transformation allowed him to overcome a reanimated dark dragon, said to be a very dangerous creature. With all the power he possesses, Asura Shadow cannot handle the backlash. Constant usage can damage his body, causing it to break down. The sign of his transformation causing damage is the abundance of cracks which suddenly erupt with blood. When transforming back to his normal form, the aftereffects don‘t dissipate, leaving Shadow heavily injured. Super form: Using the 7 Chaos Emeralds, Shadow can tap into their incredible power to achieve this form. In this state, Shadow’s Chaos abilities are enhanced to the highest degree. His Chaos powers are powerful, capable of overwhelming near impossible odds. Because of the influence of the super form, Zenyōso was also changed in a golden color. Shadow was able to share the form’s power with Saito.

A testament to the form’s strength comes from its endurance. Shadow was able to dash into outer space and rush back to the surface via re-entry. It gave him enough force to shatter a magic barrier from a corpse golem. Another testament is withstanding an explosion from an unstable airship with its fuel, windstones, reaching an unstable reaction. Darkness Shadow: This transformation was the result of Mephiles’s influence to Shadow within his mind. He becomes engulfed by the darkness within him. He merely appears as an opaque, black form of his appearance, save for his skin, which has turned noticeably pale. Anything red in his appearance will disappear, leaving everything to be replaced with a black color. The form was first seen when Shadow witnessed Tiffania being attacked by a mercenary group in Tristain academy. In this state, Shadow’s higher concept of understanding has faded. Not even pain is registered in his mind as he relentlessly pursued the mercenary in question. Due to succumbing to this transformation, it carries a heavy risk of Shadow becoming a berserker fighter with no self-survival. Upon expelling Mephiles out of his body, the transformation was lost for good.

Vermillion Shadow: This transformation was unlocked when Shadow was able to absorb a large quantity of fire. In this state, his body glows with a red, fiery aura. Fire is constantly streaming all over his body. In conjunction, his sword also follows the transformation, taking up its new fiery state. During the time of the transformation, Shadow has complete control of fire. He can use it in various ways to fight against opponents, whom use fire as their primary means of offense. However, this form has a limit on how long it lasts. According to Shadow, it requires an immense amount of flames to achieve the transformation.