Zafiriel de Grantaine

Zafi has soft, purple hair. For reason or another, she is always seen wearing the same choker and black dress. (Making her look like she is going to a funeral... LOL) Depending on the lightning, her eyes may appear azure or purple.

★ Age: 15
★ Height: 171 cm

★ Element: Fire
★ Equipment: None

Personality

Zafi is a stoic, expressionless maiden with a frail yet gentle heart and a firmly set sense of justice. Upon first meeting, she can come off as intimidating and indifferent. To be fair, she is not very outspoken and only speaks when necessary.The reason Firiel avoids speaking is her voice, deep and melodious. People rarely match her voice with her brooding face. She only ever uses her voice when she sings, the only gift she thinks God has given her. Singing is the only way Zafi is able to express her emotions. That is the only time she will shed tears or show any facial expressions, making her appear a completely different person. Even then, she always sings in solitude. It is as if she doesn’t want people to know the state of her heart.

Due to her inability to express emotions, Zafiriel is often mistaken as indifferent. Truth is, she is easily scared, moved, and hurt. Zafi is very observant. She notices details many leave unnoticed.

Her castle of seclusion is her only refuge from the uneasiness she feels around other people. Thus, she is not necessarily an introvert, but simply doesn't know how to approach others. Zafi only laughs and sheds tears in complete solitude. Unable to understand even her own emotions, Zafi finds it difficult to interact with others. She might unintentionally offend or hurt people, but readily apologises – even for the silliest little things. But somewhere, under all her uncertainties, lies a strong and independent young girl, one ready to craft a future of her own.

Now, reading all this might make one wonder - isn't Zafiriel very weak a a person? Does she not have any strengths? Well, not visible ones. Despite her low self-colfidence and tendency to get anxious around people, Zafi has a strong sense of justice. She strongly judges people who act as what she perceives as wrong or indecent. Be it a strength or not, she also appreciates and envies genuine people - ones unlike herself. She strives to become one true to herself. A quality she is unaware of, Zafi falls in love very easily - often with people with whom a romantic relationship would be very unconventional.

A redeeming quality of hers is, whenever she is worried, she becomes extremely clumsy to the point she will walk into walls or people right in front of her.

History

Zafiriel was raised by a poor yet kind music teacher, Franco Paolini, in a small town in France. She has never known her parents and who they were. The only memento she has of her mother is a rusty pocketwatch with a phoenix carved in it. Zafi treasures it and always has it with her, wherever she goes..

Franco Paolini was the son of a famous pianist, Giancarlo Paolini. However, his father had disowned him as a disgrace to the family name. In spite of that, Franco sent his father an email every month, never getting a response.
And so it happened - one night he was strolling around the streets, as a serene melody caught his ear.



It was as if each of those notes was crying tears long lost at the grave of words. Little did Franco know Zafiriel had always listened his music lessons behind the curtain leading to the classroom. There she had sat, listening, wondering.

The stream of notes led Franco to his own apartment. He was baffled to find his foster daughter singing with a clear voice, sitting at windowside, facing the chill breezes of early November night. At that time, Zafiriel was eleven years old, a bubbly young girl with big dreams. That night, Franco sent an email to his father telling about his discovery. He got an immediate response demanding him to send his foster daughter to the Paolini Estate in the outskirts of Paris. If he sent Zafiriel to study under maestro Giancarlo Paolini, Franco might get back his status as the heir to his father.

A decision he came to repent, Franco sent Zafi to Paris. There, she was tutored in music by maestro Giancarlo. Now a lawful heiress to the Paolini legacy, Zafi was showered with empty smiles, dutiful respect, and cold affection. Whenever she was not behaving as desired, she would be slapped or locked in her room. If she showed any emotion in family gatherings, she would be scolded. This is how Zafiriel developed the strong barricade around her heart. As time went by, she grew unable to express her emotions. Her music helped her to get through the darkest days. She developed an intimate relationship with her music.

Zafiriel discovered her elemental abilities as she reached her 13th birthday. She had been beaten, scloded and humiliated in front of the whole Paolini family. She had escaped to the nearby forest. Straining her vocal cords, she let out a loud cry evolving to a heavy melody. Suddenly, she felt her body tremble. A strong wave of heat crashed through her. As the final noted faded away, a breath of fire was flashed before her eyes.

Born from ashes, a wish arises
a Phoenix flying o’er lands long lost

Too bad it was witnessed by none other than maestro himself. He had no tolerance for abnormal occurrences, for unnatural creatures, as he now labeled Zafiriel. Firiel was about to be sent in confinement, when Franco helped him escape. Quickly, he shoved in her hand a paper slip with directions to a place unknown. Upon leaving, Zafi decided to adopt back her birth name, de Grantaine. Months uncounted passed before she reached the Academy.

With no knowledge of her ancestry nor elemental abilities, Zafi couldn’t help but think even her parents had wanted to dispose of her. As she gazes at the magnificent symbol of natural harmony in front of her, she can not help but hope that here, she will get answers to her questions.