Hotaru Stürzen

Background

Hotaru Sturzen was born into royalty, yet she has never known a life of privilege. From birth, her body was frail and unresponsive, and as she grew, it became clear that she would never be able to stand, walk, or live freely like others. Her days are spent within the walls of a mana-suppressed chamber, the only place where she can exist without pain.

She suffers from Mana-Reactive Degeneration, a disease caused by the demon blood introduced to her mother during her pregnancy. Unlike Emiko, who had once been strong before her body failed, Hotaru was never whole. She was doomed from the start. Exposure to mana only accelerates her condition, and her own innate magic constantly threatens to consume her. Any attempt to heal her through magic would only push her closer to death.

After Emiko’s passing, the nobility ensured that Hotaru would never be seen as anything more than a mistake. Rumors spread that she had been born broken because of impure blood, that her condition was proof that Emiko had never truly been noble. These whispers cemented her place as a forgotten relic of the past, rather than a princess with any future.

Her father, the king, never abandoned her, but he never truly embraced her either. After Emiko’s death, he became a ruler without ambition, carrying out his duties as if on autopilot, never resisting, never fighting, never caring. He ensures that the best doctors and scholars are sent to tend to her, but he does not speak to her, nor does he stay for long. His visits are brief, quiet, marked only by a silent prayer before he leaves again.

Hotaru does not know the truth behind her mother’s assassination, but she suspects it was not a simple illness. She has heard the inconsistencies, the contradictions, the way the nobility bends the story to fit their narrative. Yet, she has no proof, no allies, and no way to uncover the truth from within her isolated world.

And so, she waits.

Abilities