Hǎiyáng Castellan

"I swear, I will hunt you down, and I will not stop or rest until I have completed what I came here for."

History
The assassin/mercenary for hire known Hǎiyáng Castellan was once a small boy with a loving family, who just happened to live in an area with a higher concentration of Grimm than others. His life was perfect, and he never suspected anything bad would, or could ever happen.

When he was ten, everything changed.

All he saw was fire. His house instantly erupted into flame, firebombed by an unseen assailant. Being outside at the time Hǎiyáng was the only surviving member of his family. If you could call it surviving. The intense heat of the explosion seared off his entire right arm, and both his hands. His legs were severely burned and his lungs were damaged by inhaling smoke.

As he lay in the ashes, he saw a figure clad in black walking away.

When he recovered, he discovered he was in some sort of high-tech hospital room, and remarkably, his body had been healed. Not only that, he felt invigorated. Stronger. Faster. Better. He was about to get up and move around when a woman with exquisite black hair and bright burning eyes walked up to him.

Introducing herself as Ash, she revealed that she was the one who had healed him, utilizing aura to it’s fullest extent, and also offered him a deal. If he went with her and became her most loyal servant, doing whatever she asked without a second thought, and becoming a ruthless assassin in the process, she would tell him the details of his family’s death.

It was an offer he couldn’t refuse. So he went. He became her apprentice, mastering multiple fighting styles, and learning how to use a special weapon Ash had forged just for him. At  first, it looked like a small rectangular piece of metal, but on closer inspection, it morphed into a metal sawblade, and then a hilt of a beam sabre, which could emit a laser blade of dust in plasma form. It was known as Paramount Flame.

Hǎiyáng had not kept count of how many huntsman he had killed, or the number of dust crystals he had stolen for Ash. All he knew is that he wanted to find out the truth behind his family’s death, and avenge them.

Years passed, and finally a decade. He was a man of twenty, a merciless, brutal and efficient killer. Ash finally decided to reveal to him who had killed his family. And the truth was more than enough to warp Hǎiyáng's world forever.

It was herself.

How could he not have seen it? She had the characteristic flame powers. And most importantly of all, she had been using the dust he had been stealing to rob Remnant of some of it's only defenses.

With a flick of her wrist, she removed the aura that had kept his body intact for so long, leaving him once again in an extremely weakened state. Finally, she revealed that she had replaced him with another assassin.

Hǎiyáng would have died then and there, had he not had the help of the Good professor Aquaberry. Using his vast mechanical prowess, he repaired his injuries using a combination of reliable clockwork techniques, and advanced dust technology.

Hǎiyáng vowed to have his vengeance on Ash, and accepted Aquaberry's offer for training. Although he only spent a month with him, Aquaberry had taught him to use something Ash had never taught him: his semblance, targeting. With it, he can target the weak points of any life form, then use it to figure out the best way to defeat in an opponent, making this incredibly useful against the Grimm.

Hǎiyáng left Aquaberry on good terms, promising to keep his school safe in return for his services. Later, Hǎiyáng formed Team HRCN with Aquaberry and two other members.

Overall
Look at his profile. But if you're lazy, he is fairly athletic, and has oddly colored hair and eyes, being dark violet and bright turquoise respectively. He looks like an average 20 year old in general, if not slightly more athletic. Something odd about him is his hair always seems to fly back, as though blown by an invisible wind.

Default
Hǎiyáng wears mostly black clothing, detailed with turquoise markings now and then. However, this is mostly hidden by a black cloak that is always wrapped around him, which is tattered at the edges, giving him a rugged look. The cloak has a hood, although he rarely uses it. He wears bandages on his hands to hide the fact they are mechanical. His emblem, a blue DNA strand, is stitched on the inside of his wrists. His weapon of choice, Paramount Flame is always by his side.

Bloodedge
A different kind of combat outfit, Hǎiyáng wears black combat pants and jacket, complete with multiple belts. He loses the cloak, gaining more of a combat attire, He no longer tries to hide his mechanical hands, and wears fingerless gloves. Metal accents provide additional armor and he also gains a visor over his eyes with a turquoise line around it, which provides reconnaissance information. It is based off of Ragna the Bloodedge.

Pajamas
Hǎiyáng wears a turquoise gi uniform for pajamas. Unsurprisingly, he keeps Paramount Flame with him even when he's sleeping.

Paramount Flame
Hǎiyáng's main weapon is Paramount Flame. It takes its form as a small piece of metal that he keeps on his utility belt, but with a flick of his wrist it can transform into a metal sawblade. Hǎiyáng is the only person who can use it, as it has isometric controls, and will not change forms if it scans the wrong fingerprint. The metal sawblade has a targeting system, and can hover, which combined with Hǎiyáng's ability to target weak points, makes him an incredibly dangerous opponent. Although the blade is powerful, it can be knocked out of the air, leaving him at a disadvantage without his main weapon.

Paramount Flame is not only a projectile but also a photon sword. The sawblade can flatten out into a hilt, which Hǎiyáng then ignites using a small black switch. The blade can extend between 2 feet to 5 feet (a light green laser), and Hǎiyáng is adept at swordplay. The blade can be shorted out if exposed to rhodium ore, which is commonly found in cheap jewelry. It is powered by a raw piece of turquoise dust crystal. Another unpredictable quirk of the weapon opponents are not easily prepared for is it's ability to change between a double-edged and single-edged blade. This combined with Hǎiyáng's proficiency at Kendo, Kenjutsu, and Fencing makes him even more deadly than before.

Paramount Flame Mark 2: NightShade
Paramount Flame's second form is a three barreled laser machine gun. The handle folds out into a hilt, while the barrels go straight up, making it look like an unfinished blade. The turquoise blade is generated by the barrels, and it can be used as a normal sword, albeit much larger. The blade can also fold out into a massive scythe, though this is very difficult to wield.

Paramount Flame Mark 3: Angel of Death
Hǎiyáng is currently working on Paramount Flame Mark II: Angel of Death. It involves multiple photon swords controlled by a telepathic link, which can join together to create the barrels of a laser firing minigun. Prototypes have been unsuccessful, because if such a weapon were invented it would way OP. Though the charm of RWBY seems to derive from OP weapons...

Skills and Abilities
Hǎiyáng is an above-average combatant and martial artist, and can finish fights exceedingly quickly. His blade makes quick work of opponents. He is able to collect data about his opponents in his mind, and always prepares for a battle by watching them beforehand. Hǎiyáng is profcient at swordplay, specifically kendo, as well as projectile fighting. Hǎiyáng dislikes fighting directly if he has to, preferring to understand his opponent's strengths and weaknesses before going in for the kill. However, he is unable to recover quickly from direct hits, and if faced with someone with incredible stamina, he will again be put at a disadvantage. Another exploitable weakness is his lack of protection against unpredictable attacks, which if used against him, can turn the odds in his opponent's favor.

Much of his melee combat is exceedingly dangerous, and some of it even forbidden. He has observed the fighting styles of various Grimm, and bases his attacks on many of them, even yelling out the name of the beast he is imitating before striking, which can lead to his downfall. This fighting style is known as Grimm Chance. Although Grimm Chance can be one of the most brutally effective styles, it can sometimes lead him wide open to attacks.

Semblance: Targeting
Hǎiyáng's semblance is targeting, which sounds minor, but has actually contributed to many of his victories. His semblance gives him the ability to target an opponents weak points, allowing him to defeat not only humans, but also Grimm. Weak points can be defined as pressure points, exploitable emotions, or simply a race's most vulnerable places, be them physical, mental, or emotional. This has limits however, as not everybody has emotional flaws, and he has to get up close to hit pressure points, usually in someone's attack range. Even worse, this drains his aura very quickly.

In Battle
''Author's note: In Innocence Foretold, italics means he has not used this power yet. Cheers, and remember, he's not supposed to be all powerful. ''

Hǎiyáng fights with a natural, efficient, fighting style. According to him, fights don't last as long as media portrays them. He is efficient, brutal, and can be merciless when the time calls for it. He has no qualms about permanently injuring enemies, but most of the time draws the line at killing. He watches an opponent, than strikes, destroying opponents through quick destructive blows.

Paramount Flame is imbued with Storm Dust (well, green is wind, and blue is water, so might as well, right?), and Hǎiyáng has a variety of element manipulation, including:
 * "Vortex Point"- Hǎiyáng spins the sawblade of Paramount Flame and creates a whirling vortex of water. Powerful, but only lasts a few seconds.
 * "Vacuum Wave"-Same as Vortex Point, but with wind instead of water. Lasts a tiny bit shorter.
 * "Arashi Inazuma":-Undiscovered-Charges metal hands with electricity from Paramount Flame and blasts it out. Destructive, but unable to target precisely, and can sometimes be inefficient, as it takes a bit of time to start it again. It is best for destroying large masses, or for creating a diversion.
 * "Storm Warning":-Undiscovered-Hǎiyáng can generate a storm by using the turquoise dust and creating multiple storm clouds, of which can rain copious amounts of water, wind, and lightning. This can be used to discourage enemies, or hold them back enough for Hǎiyáng to watch them.
 * "Carve a Path": Hǎiyáng uses wind dust to boost his running or wind speed. Adds to Hǎiyáng's already incredibly powerful speed, plus Paramount Flame and you get a whirring blade tornado of death.
 * "Illusion": -Undiscovered-Sends a wave of clouds out that hide him and make the opponent uncertain and fearful, while enabling him to use stealth attacks. 
 * "Hellfire": -Undiscovered-Incredibly powerful ability that allows him to control turquoise flame which can annihilate whole masses of Grimm. Can control infernos, fireballs, etc. Takes a severe toll on Hǎiyáng's mental, physical, and emotional health, often inflicting so much massive damage he uses it as a complete last resort. If used excessively, it will definitely kill him. 
 * "Embrace the Night": Hǎiyáng still does not know much about this ability. It can only be achieved when he completely embraces the darkness in his mind, heart and soul, greatly increasing his stamina, strength, speed, and even mental ability. Like Hellfire, it can also take a toll on Hǎiyáng's health, though more dangerously. If used to often, the dark fire will eventually consume him. He has only used this once.

Combat Stats
Melee: 9.5/10

Ranged: 9/10

Armor: 5/10

Dust: 7/10

Aura: 5-10(very, very rarely ever full)/10

Speed: 10/10

Weaknesses

 * Pathological fear of fire.
 * Obsession with completing his missions.
 * Unpredictable moves or haphazard attacks.

Relationships

 * Dna-strand.png most people, Hǎiyáng seems to not care about Royal, and mostly think about how he wishes how he would actually contribute to the team (which he does). This is actually because Hǎiyáng ashamed that he had to be saved by Royal when he was betrayed by Ashe. Hǎiyáng is actually extremely grateful for Royal's help, and values him as an essential member of the team. Royal is starting to realize this, and the two are beginning to build a mutually beneficial relationship (not like that, get your mind out of the gutter).
 * Hǎiyáng's relationship with Cinnamon is strange. They either love each other or hate each other. Given that they're both the same age, they have an on-off romantic relationship, sometimes sexual. They have saved each other on many occasions, and even though they sometimes hate each other, each one respects the other's power. Hǎiyáng is probably the only person who can tolerate her for long periods of time without wanting to strangle her. Their relationship is a rocky one, but it has begun to improve, judging from the often exquisitely powerful duo they can make.
 * Hǎiyáng and Nui have been together the longest. He has known her since she was 12, and trained her all his life. Hǎiyáng and Nui have a somewhat master:apprentice relationship, as each one tries to impress the other. Nui is sometimes desperate to show Hǎiyáng what she is capable. Although he might seem uncaring about her abilities, they both know that they really do care about each other (again, non suggestively).
 * Ashe is Hǎiyáng's greatest loathing and fear at the same time. She is the constant shadow at the back of his mind, threatening to eat away at his soul and devour his sanity. Originally, he longed for revenge, but has come to terms that fighting out of a personal vendetta does nothing but harm the person with feelings of vengeance. All in all, Hǎiyáng wants her to pay for her crimes, but nothing more.

Personality
Hǎiyáng tends to be a cold and distant person. He lacks trust, and is always afraid of being betrayed. Hǎiyáng has a pathological fear of fire, just the sight of it causing him to go into shock. Despite his intimidating figure, Hǎiyáng hates collateral damage, or injustice. He has a very good memory and holds grudges, but really is a kind person at heart, even though it is hard for most people to see his true colors. To people he knows very well, he can warm to them and become an extremely great person.

Hǎiyáng does not like to rely on instincts, using cold logic to pull out of a difficult situation. His incredible trust problems, chalked up due to his betrayal at Ash's hands. He can sometimes be impulsive if having to react quickly, but he prefers to rely on his wits.

Hǎiyáng has described combat as setting him free, giving him a sense of liberation, making some people believe he is overly combat-ready. Hǎiyáng has no great love for what he can accomplish, but is in the process of learning how to use his talents for good.

Trivia

 * Hǎiyáng has an obsession with macarons, a delicious kind of French Dessert.
 * In Chinese, his name means Ocean. The ocean is turquoise, hence his color. A
 * Hǎiyáng has an odd habit of overestimating his opponents.
 * Hǎiyáng originally disliked being part mechanical, but quickly realized it's perks.
 * Hǎiyáng hates discrimination against Faunus, and tries to prevent it if he can.
 * The bandages that he constantly wears on his hands are meant to symbolize redemption, while also hiding the fact that his hands are mechanical.

Trailer
His trailer can be found here.

Gallery
Left: Normal body picture. Middle: Pajamas shot, Right: Full body shot (note, the pictures are not entirely accurate).