Olivia is a friendly, if socially awkward girl, who is always happy to chat about her many interests. The problem is, those interests tend to be rather bizarre, and the talkative, overzealous and highly energetic Olivia is almost always completely oblivious to that fact. Because of the near consent rejection and ridicule she’s experienced, she has started to become a bit more hesitant to open up to people. That said, showing even the slightest interest in one of her obsessions will open the proverbial floodgates once more, with Olivia happily babbling away for hours on end.

Due to her exceptionally poor social skills, she often inadvertently invades others’ personal space and, especially when excited about the topic of discussion, speaks in an incredibly rapid and louder-than-necessary voice, which most find both difficult to understand and highly annoying. Still, if one can look past all her quirks and eccentricities, they will find a loyal and caring friend. Indeed, Olivia doesn’t seem to have a single mean bone in her body, and all of her various bothersome mannerisms are completely unintentional on her part, leading the poor girl to frequently apologize for her offensive behavior.

As for her thoughts on the Grand Ministry, she really doesn’t have much of an opinion yet. They seem nice enough, and have certainly taken more of an interest in her than anyone else ever has (save Xolys, of course).

The youngest of five children, Olivia was always a bit…different. Unlike her attractive sisters and athletic brothers, she was scrawny, plain, and weak. She wore glasses, talked in an annoying, nasally voice, and was exceedingly inept when it came to any kind of social interaction. For as long as she could remember, she had been bullied and despised by nearly everyone, family and classmates alike. People shunned her. Of course, Olivia did her best to make friends, but her bizarre mannerisms always pushed people away, and her even more bizarre interests certainly didn’t help matters.

Always something of a bookworm, from an early age Olivia would often spend hours reading in a secluded spot in her town’s labyrinthian library. It was a way of escaping a world that didn’t seem to want her, and she would happily lose herself in one tale after another. However, Olivia’s tastes in stories tended to lean heavily towards the macabre, with Edgar Alan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft rapidly becoming her favorite authors. Her other interests were similarly odd, from a fascination with insects and cephalopods, to a love of the paranormal and the concept of visitors from other worlds, and even other universes.

One dark and stormy day, while she was searching the library’s seemingly endless maze of shelves for new reading material, Olivia came upon a previously unnoticed backroom. Stepping inside, she was presented with a small collection of old manuscripts, each with an ornate, gilded cover. All were beautiful works of art, but Olivia still found herself drawn to one tome above all the others. Its cover depicted the image of an ethereal rose, composed from dozens of tiny, glittering blue jewels. After staring spellbound for several minutes, Olivia finally opened the book, whereupon she was delighted to find that it contained an iteration of the legendary tale Beauty and the Beast. Olivia had never really been one for most fairy tales, but this particular story had always touched her heart in a particularly meaningful way.

Being a social outcast herself, she had long empathized with the lonely, reclusive Beast. And being fond of things others considered creepy or unnerving, she liked to think that, if she were placed in a similar situation as Beauty, she would happily accept the Beast for who he was. In fact, from her point of view, the Beast’s monstrous appearance only added to his attractiveness.

So it was that Olivia eagerly read through this newest incarnation of the old story, and as she turned each page, she found herself becoming increasingly enamored. Much like Olivia herself, this version’s Beauty was utterly despised by her family, more so than any other iteration of the character. In addition, the story soon took a dark and macabre twist, which seemed almost Lovecraftian in nature. This was particularly evident in the depiction of the Beast, who was now less of an animalistic being and more of an otherworldly eldritch horror. However, despite his terrifying appearance, the Beast was revealed to be quite polite and well-spoken. Indeed, so charming was he, and so endearingly nightmarish was his form, that Olivia found herself wishing that such a being would enter her friendless existence.

Upon reaching the tale’s conclusion, Olivia closed the book with a wistful sigh. There was no chance whatsoever that she would receive a happy ending to her own sad story like Beauty had, Olivia reflected, but at least she would now have the story itself to keep her company (and serve as inspiration for what promised to be countless fan fiction continuations). Resolving to return and reread the story every day, Olivia was about to leave, when she was startled by the sound of an inhuman screech. Still clutching the ornate tome in her slightly trembling hands, she cautiously made her way out of the small backroom, whereupon she was greeted by a truly horrifying sight.

There before her stood an enormous, demonic fusion of a centipede and a moth, which was in the process of kicking over bookshelves and devouring their contents. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was the creature’s actions that bothered Olivia more than its appearance, as she actually found it quite fascinating to look at. However, as far as she was concerned, destroying precious, and perhaps even irreplaceable, books was the worst thing one could do, and she was not about to stand idly by while this monster continued to destroy her favorite place in town. Marching up to the creature with an uncanny lack of fear, Olivia demanded that it cease its consumption at once. At first, the scrawny girl’s indigent demands went completely ignored, but she soon gained the monster’s full attention, when it noticed the tome she was carrying.

Looming over the increasingly frightened girl, the creature was about to strike, when all at once, Olivia was enveloped by a whirlwind of mystic energy. Glittering rose petals swirled around her, while a kind and strong voice assured her that she had nothing to fear. The next instant, the whirlwind faded, and Olivia stood before the creature, completely transformed. The monstrosity itself seemed to be stunned by the shocking transformation, before its massive form drooped down in seeming deference to the etherial beauty Olivia had become. Pleasantly surprised by the creature’s changed demeanor, Olivia was about to examine it more closely, when a second creature, far more monstrous than the first, appeared and swiftly sliced it apart.

Understandably shocked by this turn of events, Olivia’s fears were calmed a moment later, when she again heard the voice that had spoken to her just before her transformation. It was coming from the sole remaining creature. The eldritch being introduced itself as Thyerg’Xolys, the very same Thyerg’Xolys that appeared in the tome she was holding when her transformation began. The tome was a Grimoire, Xolys explained, and a rare one at that. It had chosen her to become a Magical Girl and use the power bound within it to fight the Pageless, like the one she had just encountered.

Olivia couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It was like a dream come true. Not only would she be able to take on the role of a storybook heroine, she would finally have her first real friend (And such a handsome one, too!). Over the following weeks, she and Xolys would talk frequently, with Olivia often transforming simply to chat (and occasionally snuggle) with him. Indeed, the incongruous pair have grown rather fond of each other, something made quite obvious by their frequent displays of affection (which for some reason, others seem to find extremely disconcerting).

It was a little over a month after her first transformation that Olivia was approached by a representative of the Grand Ministry. They informed her that they were very interested in her… unique abilities, and offered her a scholarship to the prestigious Marrywell Academy. Honored by the representative’s clear admiration (or so she thought), Olivia eagerly accepted their offer and, soon enough, found herself at the gates of the renowned school. Overjoyed by the prospect of finding a place where she can at long last fit in, and perhaps even make some friends, Olivia can’t wait to begin her new adventure!

The poor girl has no idea what she’s in for…

A tale as old as time, or so the saying goes, the story of Beauty and the Beast is well known throughout the world. Over the years, it has been adapted numerous times, from an award-winning Disney musical, to a cult classic tv show starring Ron Perlman. It has even been turned into an anime film, set in a virtual world. Still, despite its popularity, very few people are familiar with the original story that inspired all the rest, a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in 1740.

This is not that story, although it begins similarly enough.

Once upon a time, a wealthy merchant lived in a mansion with his twelve children (six sons and six daughters). All of his daughters were very beautiful, but the youngest, the aptly named Beauty, was the loveliest by far. She was also well-read and incredibly kind-hearted. Unfortunately, these very traits caused her vain and cruel siblings to despise her. It also didn’t help that their father made no secret about the fact that he loved her the most. However, one dark and stormy night, the merchant was attacked by pirates, who pillaged his cargo and sent him and his entire trade fleet to the bottom of the sea.

It is here that this tale takes a darker turn from its original iteration, as, now bereft of their source of wealth, Beauty’s wicked siblings resolved to sell the girl into slavery. Her incredible attractiveness, coupled with her charming and tranquil demeanor, would no doubt earn them a small fortune, enough, they hoped, to allow them to continue to live in the opulence with which they were accustomed for at least a little while longer. Still mourning the loss of her father, Beauty resigned herself to her fate, and it wasn’t long before the servants of a lecherous prince came to collect her. Payment was presented, and Beauty was shoved into the back of a carriage, which promptly sped off on its way to her new home.

It would never arrive.

Only a short time into the journey, a fierce and unnatural storm came upon the small carriage. It jostled and shook as the wind and rain pounded against it, while dazzling forks of lightning and deafening peals of thunder drove the horses into a terrified frenzy. Even the forest around them seemed to have taken on a twisted and unnerving guise, as if they had ridden straight into a nightmare. All at once, the sinister spires of a dark citadel loomed before them. Desperate to take shelter from the hellish tempest, the servants dragged their lovely captive inside the forbidding structure, which freely allowed them entry. Once inside, they found the building’s architecture to be exceedingly bizarre, with curves and contortions of space and perspective that seemed to warp whatever they viewed into forms that defied comprehension. The two servants were understandably terrified by this, but their beautiful captive found their surroundings utterly enchanting.

Her sense of wonder dissolved a moment later, though, when her captors attempted to force themselves on her, causing the maiden to flee in panic. Breathlessly running down the twisting corridors, it wasn’t long before she had completely lost her pursuers. Of course, she was hopelessly lost herself, but that knowledge really didn’t bother her. Eventually, she came upon a large chamber, filled with ethereally beautiful flowers. Utterly captivated by the sight, she entered the chamber and knelt down in front of a large, blue rose, whose petals seemed to sparkle with the light of a thousand stars.

It was at this point that the master of the citadel chose to make his appearance. Feeling a presence looming over her, Beauty turned around to find a nightmarish horror, a mountainous monstrosity of spiky chiton, slimy tentacles, and glowing, unblinking eyes. However, if the eldritch beast thought its monstrous visage would frighten the girl, it was in for quite the surprise. Instead of screaming in horror, Beauty politely introduced herself, and told the creature how much she liked its garden. Taken aback by her lack of fear, the beast introduced itself as Thyerg’Xolys, master, and sole inhabitant, of the citadel in which she now found herself. Beauty proceeded to tell how she came to be there, at which Xolys expressed his condolences and assured her that the wicked servants who had tried to violate her would trouble her no longer. Indeed, the eldritch beast told her, if she wished, she was free to remain in the citadel with him, although he would understand if she wished otherwise, especially since she had left her old world behind and was now in the realm of Xhar’doth, having apparently been transported there by the strange storm. But again Xolys was surprised when Beauty told him that she would be only too happy to stay. She had nowhere else to go, and Xolys was the only person besides her father to treat her with any degree of kindness.

And so the incredibly incongruous pair began a friendship, which soon turned into a deep and abiding love. Beauty and Beast would live happily ever after in their own, secluded nightmare world, although, to them, it was a paradise.

The Beauty- When transformed by the power of her Grimoire, Olivia becomes stunningly attractive and elegant. Her disposition becomes far more serene and refined, and her normal, somewhat nasally, voice becomes melodious and sweet as honey. In this form, she is very distracting, easily capable of turning the heads of all who encounter her, even if only for a short while. Of far greater interest to the Grand Ministry, however, is the peculiar way this enchanting allure affects nearby Pageless. If anything, the effects of her charms are even more pronounced when used upon the twisted monsters, with most Pageless that enter her immediate vicinity being rendered incredibly docile, refusing to harm her in any way. Olivia is unable to control or command the Pageless who fall under her spell, and the ability’s area of effect is rather small, but it still provides a suitable means of protection for an otherwise defenseless maiden like herself. Indeed, aside from this ability, Olivia lacks a weapon or offensive magic of any kind. If she wishes to actually inflict harm upon the Pageless, she must seek the assistance of a very special friend…

The Beast- A truly nightmarish creature, which could easily be mistaken for a Pageless itself, this massive monstrosity claims to be none other than Thyerg’Xolys, the very same eldritch beast that features so prominently in the story contained in Olivia’s Grimoire. As befitting a creature of his size, Xolys’s physical prowess is immense, his wicked, scythe-like talons capable of cutting through the strongest armor and the thickest Pageless hide as if they were little more than tissue paper. He also possesses a myriad of spiked tendrils and multiple toothy maws, while his thick, chitinous hide can shrug off all but the strongest blows. His mystical abilities are perhaps even more astonishing, as he seemingly possesses the ability to twist and warp the very structure of reality itself, tearing objects and enemies apart, or rearranging them into impossible geometric forms. Indeed, and in utter contrast to Olivia’s transformed self, just looking at Xolys’s ever-shifting form will cause the viewer pain after only a short time, although Olivia herself seems to be completely immune to this effect. That said, Xolys’s mystical abilities are exclusively utilized for combat. He can’t create portals, reshape large swaths of his surroundings, or anything of the kind. It’s just an attack he can use on a single enemy, or a single object at a time. In addition, Xolys must always remain within roughly 50 feet (15 meters) of Olivia at all times. Forcibly keeping them farther apart then this will cause both Beauty and Beast to experience steadily worsening pain and fatigue, until Olivia’s transformation ultimately reverses.