Elias Ainsworth

Revision as of 05:04, 26 July 2022

Elias Ainsworth is a male anime and manga character who features in The Ancient Magus' Bride.

Biography

Elias Ainsworth in The Ancient Magus' Bride v1 #1.

Elias Ainsworth (Japanese: エリアス・エインズワース, Hepburn: Eriasu Einzuwāsu)

According to him, he only remembered seeing red before awakening within a forest with no memory of his past or origins or even a name for himself though he came to believe that he once fed on humans. He then travelled across the lands for an unknown period of time where he avoided humans. During one of his travels, he was caught in a snow storm and fended off attacks from wolves. He was injured during this time and tiredness along with hunger had claimed him where he stumbled on a mage by the name of Lindel. Lindel was a solitary practitioner of the magical arts who had found Elias and nursed him back to health. He tended to the stranger where he noted his Fae-like origins but he had no memory of his past and therefore could not provide any answers. The mage then had the Fae-creature accompany him as he sought answers from his own master Rahab where they came upon her cabin. The tall Fae was unable to enter into her home cabin and had to adjust his size with magic with Rahab similarly unable to explain the origins of the creature. Thus, she suggested that Lindel take him on as his apprentice much to his reluctance with Rahab giving him the name of Elias. The two struck a friendship with Lindel serving as Elias's master where they continued to live a nomadic life for the next few years tending to the reindeer. During this time, Lindel taught Elias much about the magical arts as they moved from one place till the next. One day, the pair were hungry with Lindel deciding to offer his magic to a local village in exchange for food. Elias was tasked with hiding as a shadow so as to not draw suspicion whilst Lindel treated an ill boy. However, the child's sister had the gift and was terrified at the shadow of Elias as she could see his form in the background. This attracted the suspicion and anger of the villagers who turned on Lindel along with Elias who was forced to take physical form as they fled. As they ran, Lindel was injured by rocks thrown at him and they were about to be surrounded when Elias in his anger turned into his more monstrous form with vines encasing the villagers as he prepared to kill them. He was stopped by Lindel who cast a spell to sent them to the mystical far forest to escape the persecution. However, he was exhausted by the act and his injuries meant he could not move with Elias tending to him. Using the magic taught to him, Elias had them go back to the physical world where he treated his masters injuries and confessed that he felt that he had once eaten humans long ago. Lindel decided to brush the words by but suggested that Elias not share such a detail to others in the future as they could come to fear him.

Travelling to Japan, he participated in an auction where a Sleighbeggy named Chise Hatori was up for sale where he offered millions of pounds for her. Elias revealed that he had taken her as his apprentice and transported her to his home by London where he intended to train her. After that, he introduces Chise to Angelica, who hits him after learning he bought her, and has to stop her from using her magic to make crystal poppies. Once they arrive back home they find Simon waiting for them and they're given three assignments to handle for the Church. Elias decides to head off one of them and it brings them to Iceland.

Whilst there, they run into a dragon that spirits Chise away while Elias hides in her shadow, bringing her to Lindel. The two are introduced as being old acquaintances for the last 300 years at least, where they discuss Nevin's passing and that Chise will have a short lifespan if something isn't done soon.

He and Chise later went to Ulthar after he received a request from the King of Cats to deal with a blight resting at the lake. Elias went to investigate the magical residue that he had been sensing but rushed to Chise's side after she was dropped into the water by Alice. He came to pull her out and later returned in the night in an attempt to try and purify the blight. It was then that Renfred and Alice arrive where they had intended to claim the blight for themselves.

Their final task was to investigate a series of murders at a local Church, thought to be caused by a Church Grim. Elias goes off to investigate once more, only to return after Chise has captured Alice. Once they learn that Joseph is involved in the case and he harms Chise, Elias turns into his monstrous form in front of her for the first time in an attempt to kill him until Renfred shoots Joseph in the back of the head. He settles down afterwards and has to keep Chise from using her magic recklessly until she forges a contract with Ruth and they send Joseph off.

Overview

Personality and attributes

In appearance, Elias Ainsworth was a tall humanoid who had a distinctive bone-like face with horns. This took the form of a skull of a wolf and the horns of a goat with glowing red beams of light in the empty sockets of his eyes. It was said that nothing in his features were remotely human such as his skin, hands and features. It was said that it was difficult to judge his thoughts due to his bone-like face that offered no expression. According to Chise Hatori, his eyes tended to change depending on his emotions. He was also much taller than the typical human, with the average person only reaching his chest. Among the names he was known by was the Thorn Mage.

On the surface, Elias was seemingly a kind and polite person but was noted to be immensely reclusive because of his inability to relate to humans and rarely interacts with others as a result. He himself was extremely fascinated by humans and their emotions, which he attributed to being unable to experience them himself. Lindel noted that Elias always seemed that he was an observer of life rather than a participant. He did not fully understand human emotions and struggled to know certain concepts such as loneliness. This was why he prized contact with Chise as she served as a kind of teacher to him on how to be more human. In one case, he experienced envy when Chise had another friend leading to Elias leaving the home to get away but was happy when Chise followed him. Whilst feeling envious, he attacked Chise and ensnared her in vines as he held onto her tightly as he did not want to share her with anyone until she threatened to kill herself at which point Ainsworth snapped out of this state.

From his early days, Elias struggled with a desire to eat humans though he stated that he could easily brush this instinct aside. In addition, he hung to the notion that all humans feared him due to his appearance. Regarding the Fae, despite him sharing more in common with them he found the denizens of the other realm to look down and pity him. As such, he decided to remain among mortals as he felt that they accepted him despite his differences to their kind.

He was said to detest children as they always could see his true nature when he attempted to hide among humans.

Lindel came to be the first friend that Elias made in the world and came to be his mentor.

Initially, he took Chise under his care and said that she was considered part of his family. He told her that she was taken to be his apprentice but later said that she was his bride. Such was his closeness to Chise that when she was away to get her wand that he felt the house to be empty without her and urged her to come back quickly once she had completed her task. He begged her to stay with him as he felt cold and alone when she was not by his side at their home. At one point, it was described that he had a father-daughter relationship with Chise but at another time it was reversed with it being a mother-son relationship.

Powers and abilities

He was noted for being part-Fae yet he was also part of the physical world as well. He came to be trained as a mage after coming under the tutelage of Lindel where he specialized in shadow and magic that had a destructive leaning.

His magic allowed him to change his features allowing him to appear human and operate among mankind without drawing suspicion. He could use magic to base his features on another person and take a variation of their form in order to pass as human. Among the spells he was familiar with was the Water-Mirror that allowed him to communicate and see another person that was using a body of water.

Elias could summon many thorn covered vines that could be sent to engulf his targets.

With his talent beings shadows, he was able to hide himself in the shadows of another person. He could appear as a persons shadow underneath or manifest his form as a shadow in the ground. In this state, he could still move to other locations with thorns manifesting on the shadow as he moved across surfaces. He could not be seen in this state except by those with the gift and children who could discern his form in the shadows. This allowed him to follow others and quickly manifest near a person.

Ainsworth as a magical being was capable of altering the size of his form. When he was originally found he towered over humans until Rahab convinced him to take a smaller human sized form though he instead took a diminutive one. He could shift between these various sizes at will even prior to learning the magical arts. Elias could also alter his form to be more similar to an animal whereby he could be a four legged creature. When angered, he could transform into a larger more monstrous form that was coated in vines and had greater strength allowing him to battle monstrous beasts. He could grow to such an extent that he could generate large number of vines in order to encase and kill his enemies. It was noted that such transformations could be taxing and he had not adopted such a form for a long time. Thus, he found some difficulty in returning to his somewhat more human form.

Elias was able to teleportation spells that allowed him to travel across great distances such as to other countries and take others with him.

Notes

• Elias Ainsworth was created by Kore Yamazaki where he featured in setting of the The Ancient Magus' Bride universe.

In other media

Television

• In The Ancient Magus's Bride, Elias Ainsworth appeared in the setting of the anime television series where he was voiced by Japanese actor Atsumi Tanezaki and by English actor Dani Chambers.

Appearances

• The Ancient Magus' Bride:

External Links

• The Ancient Magus' Bride Wiki Entry

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