Augustus Markov
Augustus Markov Markov is Edith Markov's eldest son, Amelie Markov's brother, Enyxia Markov's biological father, Aries Villanite's Mystic Arts trainer, and Headmaster of the Plasidian Triumvirate of Avinadal. He has been all of those things across a lifetime that he did not design and would not have chosen, and he holds each role without apparent strain.
He left Markovia the first time when he learned what his mother had done with Piper. Edith had publicly announced Persephone stillborn in 159 AF and quietly handed her to Idris Hadi a few years later. Augustus had never believed the stillbirth story, but his sister Amelie was too broken by that point to confirm it. He found out the truth when Idris took possession of the child. He confronted Edith. Edith refused to discuss it. Augustus severed ties with the throne and left. The exile was not yet public — Edith protected the family name — but for Augustus it was final.
He returned to Markovia only once after, in 175 AF, after the HEMPP explosion. Edith had decided Piper had been the wrong vessel, and that the next vessel had to come from the bloodline directly. She summoned both her surviving children and forced them to conceive together. Amelie, by then catastrophically broken by their mother, used hypnosis to seduce her brother into the act. Augustus did not consent and he did not refuse. He left as soon as the conception was confirmed. This time Edith disowned him publicly under fabricated charges, and Augustus did not contest a single line of them.
Enyxia is the child of that night. Augustus has never pretended otherwise to himself, to his sister, or, eventually, to his daughter. He believes the only useful thing he can offer Enyxia is the truth about how she came to exist and what she is owed for it. That belief has shaped most of the decisions he has made since.
He spent the years between Enyxia's birth and his meeting with Aries traveling — first quietly, then with purpose, eventually settling on Plasid as a place where his particular grasp of Mystic Arts could be useful without drawing notice. He trained students. He waited. He had been waiting a long time when the crystal Aries wore around his neck pulsed across the island and Augustus knew, without being told, who had arrived.
He arrived at VTC HQ with Vynisian and Katalyn to present the coalition's request. Aries' Myst training began the day after the meeting. When Aries left for Plasid two days later, Augustus traveled with him. The training continued at sea, then on the island, then through the entire campaign that eventually ended his mother's reign and his daughter's captivity.
After Avinadal's founding, Aries and Enyxia named him Headmaster of the Plasidian Triumvirate. He accepted on the condition that Amelie hold the Chancellorship beside him. Edith's surviving children took the seats their mother would have killed them to keep them from holding, and they took them together.
Augustus Markov has the temperament of a man who learned, very young, that being right about his mother was going to cost him every relationship he valued — and that it was going to be worth it anyway. The certainty did not make him bitter. It made him patient. He has been waiting for the right moments for most of his adult life, and he has been calm while waiting.
He observes more than he speaks. The training conversations he has with Aries on Plasid are short and dense — single questions, long silences, careful responses. He does not lecture. He sets up situations that produce responses, then notices what those responses say about the person producing them. He is not unlike Talia in this respect, although their styles are entirely different and they would not have recognized the similarity in each other on first meeting.
His relationship with Enyxia is the central wound and the central work of his life. He carries the conception without rationalizing it, and he has refused, repeatedly, to be absolved for it. Enyxia has tried, in the years after Avinadal's founding, to give him the absolution anyway. He receives it as a gift rather than a verdict, and he has told her that the distinction matters to him. She has not pressed him further on it.
His relationship with Amelie is older, harder, and quieter. The conversation they had after Edith's defeat — in which they forgave each other — was a long time coming and did not arrive without violence. They have not spoken about the conception since. They have spoken about almost everything else.
He likes Aries. He likes that Aries was honest with him about not knowing things he did not know, and that Aries asked questions instead of pretending. He likes that Aries' answer to the world-changing question was about teaching, not ruling. He believed in the answer the first time he heard it, and he has not had reason to revise his opinion.
He treats Vynisian with the affection of an uncle who watched the boy grow up and the deference of a man who has worked for the throne of Atril for longer than the throne has held the boy. Both are real. Vynisian appears to find this comforting.
Aries Villanite's First Meeting with the Plasidian Delegation at VTC HQ ►
A Plasidian delegation arrived unannounced at VTC HQ requesting Aries Villanite by name. The group comprised Augustus Markov, Vynisian Atril (Crowned Prince of Atril), and Katalyn Atrilmed, Vynisian's primary handler, accompanied by guards. Talia Hekata attended as Aries' consultant. Katalyn deliberately allowed Aries to believe Vynisian was a woman, framing it as a test of character; Aries passed by handling the correction with humor and genuine respect, offering to follow Vynisian's lead on preferred address. The incident established an early rapport between Aries and Vynisian. The delegation's core purpose was to solicit outside assistance against Edith Markov, empress of Markovia, who was preparing a ritual to absorb all Plasidian memories into a single host body — her own granddaughter, held in stasis — and transfer her consciousness into it to seize control of Plasid. Vynisian had built what alliances he could on the island but required external support. Katalyn openly disclosed her opposition to Atril's involvement, identifying herself as an Atrilian Nationalist who considered the conflict Markovia's problem. Augustus, a former Markovian Nationalist in exile, could not contradict her. Aries declined to commit during the meeting, requesting a day to consider. After the delegation departed, Talia warned Aries not to dismiss Katalyn's political positions because of her levity, noting that her nationalism, her loyalty to Vynisian, and her flirtation were all equally sincere and deliberate. Aries departed for Plasid two days later, with Augustus accompanying him.
Aries Villanite's Origins and the HEMPP Facility Atrocities (160–175 AF) ►
Aries Villanite is born in late 160 AF inside a secret underground laboratory beneath the HEMPP facility on Anili Island, the product of an engineered union between an experimental subject named Mariyan and a Waerrani politician, Tulian Mercusi, selected for his genetic profile. The children in the facility are deceived into believing they live in space, making escape seem fatal. Aries is subjected to ongoing experimentation alongside peers, including Persephone Markov (known as Piper), brought in at age three by Idris Hadi at the request of her grandmother Edith Markov, and Kiriko Kuransagi, a highly capable fighter. Aries forms deep bonds with both, but is repeatedly separated from them without explanation. Unknown to him, he killed both during Malei-fueled experimental sessions, consuming portions of their bodies. His mother Mariyan concealed this and doctored his paternity records before her death in childbirth complications. Upon discovering a hidden data drive left by Mariyan, Aries learns the facility is terrestrial, uncovers his engineered origins, and watches recordings of himself killing Piper and Kiriko. He also acquires memories from their perspectives. Confronting nurse Melinda Myers, who had knowledge of the experiments, Aries kills and consumes her. He then instructs his remaining companion Lueria to flee with the data drive, tells her he loves her, and initiates a killing spree throughout the facility, releasing his full Maleidic capabilities.
Aries Villanite's Origins and the HEMPP Facility Tragedy (160–175 AF) ►
Aries Villanite is born in late 160 AF inside a secret underground laboratory beneath the HEMPP facility on Anili Island, part of Idris Hadi's enhancement program. Children in the facility are deceived into believing they live in space, making escape seem fatal. Aries is raised by his mother Mariyan, a facility subject herself, and undergoes continuous experimentation alongside other children. His accelerated aging creates a persistent psychological complex around lost childhood. His closest early companions are Persephone Markov, known as Piper, and later Kiriko Kuransagi and Lueria. Unknown to Aries, he killed both Piper and Kiriko during Malei-induced experimental episodes — consuming their hearts and bodies respectively — with staff suppressing all memory of these events. Mariyan dies following a difficult pregnancy, but not before directing Aries to a hidden data drive. The drive reveals his engineered origins, the facility's true location, and the fates of Piper and Kiriko. The paternity records on the drive are falsified by Mariyan to protect a secret she dies concealing. Upon recovering memories through visions linked to his victims, Aries confronts and kills nurse Melinda Myers, acquiring her memories through consumption. He then gives Lueria the data drive, instructs her to hide, and initiates a killing spree throughout the facility, releasing the full extent of his Maleidic capabilities. Separately, Persephone's removal from the Markov family by Edith Markov causes Augustus Markov to permanently sever ties with the Markov throne and drives Amelie Markov into prolonged depression.
Aries Villanite: Years 175–178 AF — Kanin, Robin Flynn, and the Markov Succession ►
Following the HEMPP power plant explosion, fifteen-year-old Aries Villanite wakes in a field on Anili Island. The incident is officially classified as industrial terrorism by the Public Data Trust, suppressing rumors of a monster. Aries, now carrying the absorbed memories and voices of those he consumed—including Piper and Kiriko—struggles with acute self-loathing and a perceived lack of empathy, exacerbating his existing mental disorders. Attempting to leave Anili for Kerbas Island, he is aided by Kanin, who pays his passage. Kanin believes Aries' account entirely and advises discretion. The two part ways on Kerbas, but the encounter catalyzes Aries' stabilization. He settles in Palin City, taking work with local gangs and developing a charismatic persona built from absorbed memories. He meets Robin Flynn, a member of the Palin City Mafia, after intervening in an assault against her. Their relationship develops from reluctant acquaintance to romantic partnership. When Robin is assaulted by the don of the rival Eiston Family and abandoned by her mother, Aries infiltrates the estate, allows himself to be tortured, and kills the don and several underlings using his Beast Form. Kanin subsequently recruits both into an operation dismantling violent gangs across Kerbas Island. The three operate for roughly two years, gaining a positive reputation. The partnership ends when Robin is abducted; Aries' uncontrolled Beast Form during her rescue terrifies her, and she rejects him. Aries returns home to find Kanin's severed head. Concurrently in Markovia, Edith Markov forces her children Amelie and Augustus to conceive. Enyxia Markov is born in 177 AF and immediately placed in stasis as Edith's future vessel.
Aries Villanite: Years 175–178 AF — Kanin, Robin Flynn, and the Markov Succession ►
Following the HEMPP power plant explosion, fifteen-year-old Aries Villanite wakes alone on Anili Island. The incident is officially classified as industrial terrorism by the Public Data Trust, suppressing rumors of a secret lab and monster sightings. Aries wanders the cities, overwhelmed by the absorbed memories and voices of those he consumed, including Piper and Kiriko. His mental disorders intensify as he conflates self-blame with a perceived lack of empathy, deepening his self-loathing. He meets Kanin while attempting to cross to Kerbas Island without funds; Kanin pays his passage and believes Aries' extraordinary account without question. Kanin advises Aries to withhold his story publicly until he understands himself better. Though Kanin offers continued companionship, Aries declines, unwilling to misrepresent himself. In Palin City, Aries takes work with local gangs and meets Robin Flynn, a member of the Palin City Mafia. After intervening in an assault on Robin and later avenging her abuse at the hands of the Eiston Family don by entering Beast Form and killing him and several underlings, Aries, Robin, and the returning Kanin form a small anti-gang team operating across Kerbas Island for roughly two years. Aries and Kanin develop an exceptionally close bond. The partnership ends when Robin is abducted; Aries loses control of his Beast Form during her rescue, terrifying her. She rejects him in panic, and he retreats. He returns home to find Kanin's severed head. Concurrently in Markovia, Edith Markov forces her children Amelie and Augustus to conceive a new vessel. Enyxia Markov is born in 177 AF and immediately placed in stasis for Edith's long-term possession project. Augustus is publicly exiled and disowned.
Idris Hadi's Final Gambit and Death (Year 195 AF+) ►
By Year 195 AF and beyond, Idris Hadi's position had deteriorated significantly. Mickail Sidson's dossiers enabled repeated raids on his secret research facilities, Kiriko Kuransagi had defected, and an internal leak from within the Public Data Trust AI — built on fragmented Alexandria Zeru code — was quietly feeding intelligence to his enemies. Unable to identify the source, Idris abandoned his characteristic patience and escalated to open aggression. He deliberately opened Maleidic Realm portals, releasing Maleida entities into inland Santerris to manufacture chaos as cover for his real operation: infiltrating the Avinadal Empire, weaponizing Aries Villanite's own DNA against his people, and systematically destroying those around Aries rather than targeting him directly. Idris also planted a Malei explosive device inside Aries' body, designed to detonate upon Idris' death. Augustus Markov ended the conflict by channeling a massive concentration of Myst energy to crystallize Idris in place, trapping him within the same Malei energy he had spent decades exploiting. Augustus then identified and extracted the bomb from Aries, preventing mass casualties. Idris died without remorse, considering his only failure to be insufficient success. A postscript reveals that a hidden facility contained a female clone — Idris's intended consciousness-transfer vessel — who escaped with surviving experiments and was later integrated into the Avinadal Empire as Aries' sister. Both she and Aries represent the failure of Idris's design to determine outcome, as neither became what he intended.
Idris Hadi's Final Gambit, Death, and Legacy ►
In the final years before his defeat, Idris Hadi abandoned his characteristic patience and escalated to open warfare. Raids led by Mickail Sidson had dismantled his secret research facilities, Kiriko Kuransagi had defected, and an internal leak from within the Public Data Trust AI — built on fragmented Alexandria Zeru code — was eroding his position. In response, Idris deliberately opened Maleidic Realm portals to release destructive entities into inland Santerris, manufacturing societal chaos as cover for his real operation: infiltrating the Avinadal Empire, weaponizing Aries Villanite's own DNA against his people, and systematically destroying those closest to Aries rather than targeting him directly. Idris also planted a Malei explosive device inside Aries' body, designed to detonate upon Idris' death. Augustus Markov ended the conflict by channeling a massive concentration of Myst energy to crystallize Idris within gold Malei energy — the same substance Idris had stolen from Octavia Rousseau and the Waerr. Augustus then extracted the bomb from Aries himself. Idris died without remorse, considering his only failure to be insufficient success. Years later, a hidden facility revealed a female clone Idris had developed as his intended consciousness-transfer vessel. She escaped with surviving experiments and was eventually integrated into the Avinadal Empire as Aries' sister. Both she and Aries represent the failure of Idris' design to determine outcome, establishing that individuals created as instruments can choose their own paths.