Zachariah Regulus
Zachariah Regulus is a Dark Hav man born in Hav'En approximately two years after Amerati, hidden by his mother from a society that treated black-feathered Hav as Maldicite heretics. He was not a Maldicite when Amerati found him — though he would eventually become one.
He was sixteen when a Holy Javelin squad came for him. He escaped with unexpected skill and the help of Amerati, who chose to take his side against the people she had trained alongside. What followed was a partnership that defined both of their lives.
Together, they built the foundation of the Regulus family — not as a dynasty of blood-pure Hav nobles, but as something more complicated and more honest. Zachariah took on the Black Devil's Spine, a weapon with a history older than most kingdoms, and learned to wield it without being consumed by it. He was adopted into the Regulus family by Amerati and her brother Nero, cementing his place in the lineage.
Amerati later turned Zachariah into a Maldicite — a step both of them took deliberately, with full understanding of what it cost and what it enabled.
He helped raise the girl Atrea, whose eventual use of the Spine carried traces of both their teaching. When Atrea became an adult, Zachariah, like Amerati, simply was no longer there. Whether they left together or separately, the record does not say.
Zachariah Regulus does not appear in the historical record as a loud presence. What he appears as is someone who was capable well beyond his years, steady under conditions that would rattle most adults, and content to be part of something rather than to lead it.
He was sixteen when a Holy Javelin squad ambushed him and he held his own long enough to matter. He did not panic. He did not attempt a speech. He defended himself with what he had and accepted help when it came, without pride making the acceptance complicated. That combination — capability without ego, openness without vulnerability — is consistent across everything the record shows of him.
He accepted becoming a Maldicite. He accepted being adopted into the Regulus family by people he had only recently met under violent circumstances. He committed to Amerati without apparent second-guessing. These are not the actions of someone passive — they are the actions of someone who makes decisions quickly and then lives in them.
He trained Atrea with what the record suggests was real rigor. The fact that she was capable enough to eventually wield the Black Devil's Spine speaks to the quality of what he passed on.
When the work of raising Atrea was done, he left, as Amerati left, without announcement. This suggests either that the two of them had an understanding about when their chapter ended, or that Zachariah Regulus had simply decided the story he was part of was someone else's to continue. Either way, he did not linger.
Founding of Napoli: Atrea, Leonidas, and the Regulus Legacy (120–50 BF) ►
Atrea is adopted and trained by Amerati and Zachariah Regulus during the period 120–50 BF. Though never added to the Regulus Mural, she receives the Black Devil's Spine from Zachariah. Amerati and Zachariah disappear before Atrea reaches adulthood. Atrea marries Tyrus Napoli, taking his name. During their travels, the couple discovers an ancient burial site resonating with energy similar to the Spine. There, Atrea recovers a pair of black wings, which she fashions into a scabbard for the Spine, enabling safer use of the weapon. Tyrus dies of illness shortly after the birth of their son, Leonidas. Atrea raises Leonidas strictly but kindly, teaching him to wield the Spine and its scabbard through an Iaido-inspired sword style of her own development. Atrea dies when Leonidas is approximately sixteen. Leonidas subsequently works as a mercenary and bounty hunter, dedicating himself to liberating enslaved people across the continent. He ultimately sacrifices his life to free a large number of slaves. The freed people establish the nation of Napoli to the east of Ryukona in his honor. Napoli grows into a significant political power, distinguished by its military academy and naval strength. The Black Devil's Spine and its scabbard represent a continuous thread of Regulus heritage passed through Atrea's lineage into the founding of an independent nation.
Regulus Legacy: Founding of the Regulus Family (160–120 BF) ►
Amerati Regulus was born in Hav'En and trained from birth as a member of the Holy Javelin, an elite Hav military order. Zachariah, born two years later, was hidden by his mother due to his black feathers, which marked him as a suspected Maldicite. Around age eighteen, Amerati encountered Zachariah during a Maldicism investigation. After a confrontation and a cave collapse left both injured, Zachariah treated Amerati's wounds and the two formed a bond. Amerati, already skeptical of Hav elitism and anti-black-feather prejudice, attempted to protect Zachariah but was betrayed by her squad captain. She defected, helping Zachariah escape, and the two became partners and eventually lovers. Together they killed Petrov Regulus, Amerati's abusive father, and rescued her brother Nero. Amerati contracted Maldicism during this period; Zachariah concealed her condition by allowing her to feed on his blood. The group departed Hav'En. Amerati acquired the Black Devil's Claws and Zachariah the Black Devil's Spine, both artifacts suited to Maldicites. Amerati later turned Zachariah into a Maldicite. Nero settled what became Regulus Island, and Amerati and Zachariah created the enchanted Regulus Mural using an ancient Floating Continent device, depicting all living Regulus family members in real time. Zachariah was formally adopted into the Regulus family. Nero expanded the bloodline extensively before passing leadership to Apollo Regulus, who developed the family into a wealthy, prominent dynasty known for their palace-town, beauty, and insular practices.