Kaden — Plague Doctor

Profile

The Plague Doctor is a mysterious figure renowned for granting wishes in exchange for souls. The Plague Doctor appears before individuals deep in despair, fear, or madness, offering them the power they yearn for. All those granted such power acted on their desires, resulting in the destruction of not only their surroundings but also themselves. While some claimed they were simply manipulated by the Plague Doctor standing beside them, no witnesses have confirmed the Plague Doctor's presence. Also, due to their mental instability, speculation arose among some that the Plague Doctor's existence might simply be an illusion. The reason people accepted the Plague Doctor's power wasn't simply because they were cornered. Although records of the Plague Doctor are rare, one common narrative is that despite his unsettling and peculiar attire, the moment he speaks, he instills a sense of salvation in those he encounters. Even those familiar with the rumors say they felt compelled to follow him once in his presence. No one has ever found a good explanation for this, but it's speculated that it's part of the Plague Doctor's abilities. Since the Plague Doctor neither sought money nor affiliated with any organization, determining his identity remains a challenge. While there are records suggesting he aimed to treat the plague, the only evidence linking him to the disease is the black bacteria he carries, which can mutate organisms and is believed to be the plague he refers to. After the invasion of the Invaders, there were claims that the Plague Doctor was an advance agent for the Invaders, sent for terrorist purposes. Yet, given that many Invaders were also victims of his experiments, his true identity and motives remain shrouded in mystery to this day.

appearance

A human male, of unknown age, measures 1.82 meters and weighs 84 kg; his place and date of birth are unknown. A Korean man, blond with green eyes, has an athletic and muscular physique; despite this, he could be considered a twink. Kaden, in his Plague Doctor persona, wears a black brimmed hat with a purple feather, along with a white mask covering his face. He wears a purple cloak and a black suit with black gloves and a white cravat around his neck. Behind his mask, he has arm-length blonde hair and dark circles under his eyes. After merging with Labose's consciousness, he underwent two major physical changes. The first is simply his cloaked self, albeit larger, his hands stretched thin, with a grey skin color and a number of corpse-like heads stacked under the cloak. The second is another drastic change, with him growing a large black wing, his head now transformed into that of a raven with an exposed skeleton and a green glowing iris within the eye socket. On his left side is another raven's head, covered in black and with multiple red eyes on one side. His body also consists of what seems to be melted heads of blue-skinned corpses, and a crystal stuck within his heart, along with ribcages growing at the bottom near the seemingly melted limbs. In this form, he is also surrounded by floating gold pins.

Biography - Kaden's Discovery of the Champion Sword

Prior to his eventual turn, the Hero Kaden was tasked by the Gods to find the "Sword of Light," the Champion's Sword. After he managed to acquire the sword, he began to read through the sword's memories, where to his surprise and confusion, the memories within the sword were of the future, in which the Guardian gathered the Champions and defeated The Savior, but then there was nothing. He began researching the sword's memories by delving deeper into them, searching for something that could justify why the sword would have memories of the future. That's when the Plague Doctor appeared to him. The Plague Doctor informed Kaden of the truth of this world, which led Kaden to believe that reaching that truth would allow him to save the world, and he began his research. Sometime later, he and his companions ventured out to Motori Mountain to discuss the Champion's Sword with the head of the soul mage family at that time, before leaving. After continuous research into the matter, Kaden became desperate and began to wonder if the truth was even attainable, and if it was even possible to save this world. Sometime later, Kaden learned about the seeds of a flower made of Labose, though he was initially skeptical of its existence. Later, however, he discovered the seeds and began to devise a plan to use the flower as a way to break The Loop. He also learned that in order to sprout the seed, he needed someone who "had reached rock bottom emotionally and is currently struggling". Lili, the Queen of Kanterbury, later found out about it and told him that the flower he found wasn't the answer, and that the flower would end up turning him into a monster. She continued by saying he should instead stand with her and the heroes of the next generations in their fight against the threat of the future.

Biography — Massacre on Heavenhold

He visited Clara one last time, telling her that he had no other options left. He later visited Heavenhold, donning a new outfit and discarding his old armor, before summoning numerous Labose monsters within the floating playground, killing all of its research team along with Loraine, leaving Vinette the sole survivor. After blossoming one flower using the mana extracted from the dead corpses, he began his Labose experiments, eventually disappearing without a trace, straining the diplomatic relationship between the Demon World and the Human World and leaving Heavenhold's ownership in dispute.

Biography — First Recorded Appearance

Kaden later secretly reappeared, under the moniker of the "Plague Doctor," with his first recorded appearance in Tetis dating back to 103 AH, where he is described as a figure who "grants your wishes but takes away your soul." He appeared before a boy who was enslaved after losing his family. That same night, the boy was given a sword, which he used to slaughter everyone in the city where he lived. By the time the city's army arrived, the boy had already died, leaving no survivors.

Biography — Revisit to Magic School

In 502 AH, the Knight retrieved all pages of Laura's diary for an occult-obsessed student, who ends up being possessed by Laura, a Magic School student who was manipulated by Kaden into slaughtering her classmates, after her spirit was freed due to the pages being gathered in one place. The Knight battled against Laura, emerging victorious at the end, before Kaden appeared right next to Laura. He then tells the Knight that they'll meet again soon, before disappearing.

Biography — Missing People

The Plague Doctor later visited Demon World's Commuter Town, where he began using the townspeople as subjects for an experiment related to Labose, starting a mysterious incident where people around Commuter Town began to disappear. He later approached a restaurant owner, asking him what his wish was. Thinking it was some kind of joke, the restaurant owner told him that he wished for his restaurant to be the most popular in town. Telling the restaurant owner that his wish had been granted, the Plague Doctor vanished into the crowd. After the restaurant became famous, the Plague Doctor returned and assumed the owner's identity, disguising himself as the restaurant owner and locking the actual owner in a room inside the restaurant. The Knight later visited the restaurant, where they met with the Plague Doctor again after discovering the owner's location. Telling the Knight about his experiment, the Plague Doctor used the Labose infection on the restaurant owner, turning him into a monster. The Knight was able to defeat the infected restaurant owner, returning him to his original form. The Plague Doctor then told the Knight that they would meet again, and to take care of the Champion Sword until it happened, before fading away.

Biography — Visit to Demonshire

The Plague Doctor arrived at Demonshire's Central Pyramid, where the battle against the Demon God Bellial took place. Exclaiming that the future had changed, he talked to himself about how the events that happened at Demonshire had proven the loop's imperfection. He then ended the conversation, saying that he and Lili "can now be free, even if it's not in the form that they want."

Biography — Cryptic Messages in the Murals

Throughout The Knight and Kai's exploration inside the hijacked Heavenhold, they stumble upon several murals spread throughout the temples of Heavenhold. One of them depicts Kaden the Hero, Queen Lili, and the Champion Sword. Kai attempts to scan the murals in order to piece them together. The murals changed after Kai scanned them, now placing a corrupted cloud over Kaden, whose figure is replaced by that of the Doctor in the scanned mural. Not long after KAI's sacrifice, the Doctor appeared in front of his deactivated body.

Biography — Demon World Civil War

After greeting the governors of the Demon World, the Knight headed towards the Conference Hall with Lilith and Erina, where they were summoned by a Saul military soldier who requested the Knight's time. Remarking on the Knight's situation of losing both the Champion's Sword and Heavenhold, the soldier revealed themselves as the Doctor, startling the Knight. The Knight tried to fire an arrow at the Doctor, but was unable to harm him in his incorporeal form. Warning them of a "flower of death" about to bloom in the Demon World, the Doctor told the Knight to look forward to it before disappearing.

Biography — Demon World Civil War

Lilith condemned Kaden for doing nothing despite knowing everything about the war, and asked him if he cared about what happened to the Demon World. Kaden responded, accepting their death if it was needed to stop the impending doom. As he took his leave and walked away, The Knight attempted to confront him. Kaden thanked The Knight for taking down Lili, claiming that he wouldn't have made it far had she been around. He immediately summoned a wall of L-bacteria to block The Knight away, and continued to approach the flower. As Kaden drew closer and closer to his destination, the Knight called out to him from behind, somehow able to pass through the wall of Labose. The Knight asked him about his objective, to which he explained that his goal lay behind the flower. They asked Kaden what he would do if his plan failed, and Kaden simply laughed it off, thinking it a silly question, before telling them that he intended to repeat his plan over and over until he succeeded. Sensing that the Knight was about to attack him, he summoned one of his experiments to fight against them, before disappearing into thin air. Arriving at his destination, he commanded the Black Flower to blossom, proclaiming that he had given up his humanity to open that path. As he walked near the edge of the cliff, he watched as the flower bloomed, invoking Clara's name, telling her that the end was nigh.

Biography — Sprouting of the Black Flower

As the flower bloomed, numerous rifts began to open, causing monsters to emerge and attack the Demon World. Kaden approached the flower's pistil before he was found by an enraged Erina, who sought to kill him for the damage he had done to the Demon World and to Lilith. The two argued, with Kaden attempting to explain his motives to Erina, saying that the deaths he had accumulated over the past 500 years were to find a way to break the cycle of destruction. His plan was to use a crystal composed of compressed mana that the flower had fed on, and he would take the blame and kill as many people as necessary if it could save the world. Erina, seeing how much Kaden had changed over the years, how he was no longer the heroic kid she once knew, and how he was no different from the gods they fought against 500 years ago, decided to try and end his life. Kaden, feeling disappointed by Erina's inability to understand, decided to accept her duel, and the two fought each other. As the two continuously hurled attacks at each other, the fight reached a stalemate, with Erina stabbing through Kaden's chest, and Kaden stabbing through hers. However, determined to break the loop, Kaden infused the crystal into his heart, restoring his body to full health. At the same time, he saw Vinette and The Knight approaching the flower. Without hesitation, he placed a barrier around the flower, exclaiming that he wouldn't allow any more distractions. As the barrier grew larger and larger, he marched towards the flower's center, where a portal to a different dimension had opened. He entered the portal and began searching for the "source of destruction," the will of Labose.

Biography — Sprouting of the Black Flower

After finding the source of Labose, he merged it with the crystal he had buried in his heart. Hoping to learn something that could help him seal Labose, he was instead greeted with emptiness. Confused, he immediately tried to rationalize why the hivemind was empty, before considering the idea that perhaps the source of destruction wasn't fully Labose, and that the Champion's Sword was also a key factor behind The Loop. Feeling slightly enraged, he set out to take the sword away from The Knight and destroy it, hoping it would finally break the Loop. He was finally approached by The Knight, who carried a copy of the Champion's Sword that they found within the Otherworld. Without wasting any time, he demanded The Knight hand over the sword so he could destroy it. He continued, stating that the sword wasn't confined within the loop, thus it didn't need to experience death and rebirth like the rest of the world, and instead was what reinforced it in the first place. Kaden continued to try and convince them to hand over the sword, exclaiming that every soul would be set free and no longer tied back to The Loop. However, he told The Knight that there's a catch to destroying the sword; anyone synchronized with it would perish alongside the sword. Despite this outcome, he told The Knight that sacrificing both their lives and the Princess's is a price worth paying.

Biography — A Hero's Refusal

The Knight, thinking hard about whether to give the sword or not, ultimately decided not to hand it over. Kaden, who had already expected much, still felt disappointed in the Knight. He put his mask back on and told the Knight that Labose is destructive, strong, and possesses absolute dominion, although its hive mind was severely lacking, as its only objective is to survive. As it slowly grows into a new form, he told the Knight that the repetitive destruction it brought stems from a different will, that being the will of the Champion's Sword, and that he would confront it with all his might and destroy it. Kaden, now in this new form, fought the Knight using the power of Labose, continuously summoning monsters and hurling them with spikes. Seeing the Knight successfully dodge the attacks, he transformed into a second form, still attempting to kill the Knight with everything he had. Still, the Knight was able to dodge his attacks and fought back against him in the second form. Reverting to his human form, he applauded the Knight, as they were able to survive his attacks despite only having half his powers. Though despite their success in dodging and attacking, the Knight was noticeably weakened and struggled to walk towards him. He told them that they fell short, saying that they would stand against the fate of the world, yet they couldn't take him down. He swiftly used his powers against the Knight, pinning them to the ground, before taking away the Champion's Sword.

Biography — A Hero's Refusal

As he was in the process of destroying it, he suddenly felt a surge of power coursing through the sword and the Knight as the sword itself glowed brightly. The Knight awoke, as if no damage had been done to them. Kaden, knowing that the amount of mana output the Knight gave off from just half of the sword's synchronization level was impossible, deduced that the Princess sacrificed her own existence to return half the power she "stole" to the Knight. Knowing that he also couldn't back down, after all the horrible things he had done to get to where he was now, he continued his fight against the Knight, who now wielded the Champion's Sword with their full power. Despite giving it his all, he wasn't able to keep up with the Knight now that they had regained their full power, and was finally defeated, with the crystal within him destroyed by a slash. Having lost his powers, and on the verge of dying, he told the Knight that they shouldn't feel wary around him, as he no longer posed a threat to them. He thought about how much preparation he had made over the past 500 years, and how he lost to the Knight. Having no more interest in disgracing himself, he questioned if there was a limit to what the beings within the Loop could reach, or if something was lacking. Kaden later stated that he would have to leave things to the Knight, before suddenly the Champion's Sword reacted, signaling that he was a Champion.

Biography — A Hero's Refusal

He continued that they would face the Champion's Sword in the future, and that at that point, they wouldn't do it alone. The Knight mentions that they have the Princess with them, and how, unlike Kaden, they have friends on their side. Baffled by how the Knight didn't notice the sudden surge in power during their fight, Kaden revealed to them that the Princess sacrificed herself to save them. Immediately panicking, Kaden tells the Knight to stop with the theatrics, and that the Princess can still be saved, using the power he has left. Questioned over why he's suddenly helping, he answered that the reason the Knight could break the Loop was due to the fact that there were two owners of the Champion's Sword, and how the existence of both the Knight and the Princess aligns with his goal and interests. The Knight accepts his help, and Kaden began to lend his ability to peer into the sword temporarily, giving the Knight the chance to save the Princess and bring her back to the real world. Kaden tells the Knight to save her no matter what, before sending the Knight inside the sword.

Biography — The Aftermath of Battle

After the Knight saved the Princess and purified the Demon World of the Labose bacteria, Kaden, in his dying body, walked away from the battlefield before collapsing to the ground, unable to stand. Looking at the location emitter that had fallen, he monologued to himself about how he had failed once again, and that he most likely wouldn't be able to see Clara again. He apologized, invoking Clara's name again, before falling unconscious. Soon after, he was found by a red fairy, who took him away while telling his unconscious self that he hadn't failed, and that his efforts would bear fruit in the future.

Personality

A shell of his former self, Kaden's obsession with destroying The Loop numbed him of any human empathy and diminished his old heroic spirit, as he became willing to murder countless lives and experiment on living beings, believing it to be necessary towards his goal. He has also grown more cunning, taking advantage of individuals at their lowest point, a prime example being his interactions with a Magic School student named Laura that resulted in the infamous Classroom D Incident.