[u][b]Homeworld:[/b][/u] Otherworld, Silent Hill

[u][b]Name:[/b][/u] Ignis Fatuus

[u][b]Age:[/b][/u] Ageless, but looks to be in his late twenties

[u][b]Species:[/b][/u] Humanoid Zmeu-esque Manifestation (at first a wisp of red light)

[u][b]Gender:[/b][/u] Masculine

[u][b]Alignment:[/b][/u] Very, very evil

[u][b]Personality:[/b][/u]

On the surface, Ignis seems to be a kind and amiable man, treating his peers with respect. He is charismatic to a degree, being very eloquent and formal in his speech. However, under this affable mask is a sadistic, manipulative, and cruel monster (figuratively and literally). Even to those who know who he really is, his friendly facade never falters, usually arrogant and mocking in nature. Though he attempts to show otherwise, he is completely incapable of feeling empathy for others, mirroring that of a real life sociopath.

Ignis has a constant need for control over others, in more ways than one; this trait was carried over and overblown from Stephan's negative aspects. Though he is able to control himself, he can be very forward with both women and men alike; he has a personal preference for young women in their teens or early twenties, particularly his manifestor's own sister, Audrey Jones. The manifestation has a deep hatred for his originator's family, another trait formed by Stephan's irrational anger towards them. In spite of his hatred, when it comes to Audrey, Ignis has an unhealthy fixation with her, constantly aiming to manipulate her emotionally and looking for what buttons to push around her the most out of anyone else.

To other Interferences against him, Ignis will fight back when the need calls for it, running away when things don't turn in his favor; he'll never resort to outright murder. Otherwise, he's always focused on bringing his enemies down with words, not afraid to bring up their own personal weaknesses in order to get the point across. To allies working alongside him, the illusionist prefers to be in the lead, though he can be too willing to trust fellow villains, overlooking the possibility of betrayal. Though he's not stupid by any means, his overconfidence and arrogance tend to lead to his failings, usually by underestimating his opponents or overlooking the dangers in certain situations.

In the case that his facade truly shatters, his demeanor takes a complete 180. Gone is the affable nature, and in its place is an enraged, ill-tempered, destructive side that reflects his true nature as a hellish manifestation. Even when things going wrong are by his own doing, in this state, he is incapable of admitting of being at fault, all too willing to blame everyone else like an immature child. When he completely snaps, it's only then that he resorts to assaulting others, in the worst ways possible...

[u][b]Powers:[/b][/u]

Ignis wields the power of illusion, contained within his red eye. This occurs when he reveals his eye to his victims and gives a bright flash; if the victim's sight is caught in its vicinity, they will be put into a hallucination fabricated by himself. They can be minor, usually tricking the target into believing him to be in sight, only to appear behind them and catch them off-guard, or they can be major weaknesses and fears revealed to them, even making them feel pain within the illusion. He can also use this power on himself; with the aid of mirrors, he can form an illusion around himself to make him appear as someone else, even disguising his voice. However, this can all backfire depending on the willpower of the victim and if they see it coming, spot the thread to break the illusion, or if they take notice of his actions when pretending to be someone else. Also, just as mirrors can aid him in his powers, they can also work against him, bouncing the intended illusion away from the victim and onto himself, trapping him into a nightmare of his own.

Aside from illusions, the red eye also allows him to see into the minds of others, reading their darkest thoughts and emotions. He could also see into their memories, though this requires more focus. Because of the concentration needed for this, he uses this when working to break down his opponents through talking, rarely in combat unless he needs to (checking for elemental weaknesses and the like).

Upon his gaining consciousness, Ignis also has the power of dark pyromancy, willing black flames of his personal hellfire into being. Unlike normal pyromancy, the black flames are much more destructive, incinerating and smothering even normal fires and water, though light-related spells can extinguish them. Usually, this comes in streams formed by a wave of his arm, though he can also send out columns at all sides, form weapons like spears to launch at the enemy, amplifying the heat of his given weapon, or creating a combustion around his own grip. Over time, he has learned other ways of using his flames, willing them as lines to slash across the area akin to a hot razor wire, firing them out as small filaments from his fingertips, and creating a bar of fire that, after gathering enough air around it, explodes to incinerate and throw enemies across the battlefield. The flames also act as his means of teleporting, either from a short distance away from his opponent, or traveling across worlds. This occurs by gathering fire around himself, disappearing in the following fireburst, and then reappearing in another burst elsewhere. He could also use his pyromancy to heal any given wounds; however, this only amounts to open flesh wounds, with internal damage or broken bones needing other natural treatments. Because of his affinity to fire and heat, he is unaffected by either of them when in contact, though has a natural weakness to water/ice and light as a result.

Nightmare Magic: A magic set that originally belonged to Stephan, Ignis has acquired this the minute he gained a form for himself, having already separated from his originator's being upon "rejecting" him. Nightmare magic appears, in its purest form, as a cloud of black mist with hints of red within its depths, true to his color scheme. As with Dream magic, its element is a bit difficult to pin down; it has much in common with Darkness magic, but also appears to be related to his negative thoughts. As an already nightmarish manifestation, Ignis has mastered this set quickly, having access to all of its spells.

Spell list:

- Metus: Instills fear into the target, weakening attacks and causing their decisions to become less sound.

- Caesuc: Robs the target of their sight for a few moments.

- Night Terror: Sends a weak bolt of red lightning, damaging health and magic by a marginal amount.

- Moroi: Steals part of the target’s soul, draining away all magic.

- Phobetor: Gives a random status effect, aside from burning, freezing, or death.

- Mortis: Saps the target’s HP and uses it to restore his health.

- Phobia: Leveled up Night Terror; the lightning bolt is stronger and tinged with black, dealing greater damage to health and magic.

- Letum: Decreases health of the target for about 5 to 7 minutes.

- False Awakening: Highest level of Night Terror; the lightning bolt is pitch black and deals tremendous damage to health and magic. However, due to its severity, this forces him to pass out after use.

- Delusion: The Nightmare equivalent to Dream Walker. Ignis expends all of his magic to trap someone in a Lotus Eater state. The dream could be either good or bad; if good, they will be put in an eternal paradise; if bad, eternal torture by their worst nightmares. If successful, they would be trapped for a lifetime unless Dream Walker is used to break them out. Sometimes, the victim's willpower is all that's needed to break themselves out of it, depending on their state of being.

Zmeu: By conjuring up his hellish nature into full force, combined with Nightmare magic, Ignis will take up a form named after the fantastical creature in Romanian folklore. Zmeu boosts Ignis' magic power, but also allows him to move at high speeds, leaving behind a trail of black mist. When using his spells, he amplifies them to a giant red eye on his chest. He also has the ability to become a literal living Nightmare, turning into a form of black mist and flowing into his opponent to trap them in a nightmare for a short time and attack them from within. Any damage inflicted in the nightmare is inflicted on the person in reality as well.

- Mist of the Damned: Growth ability of Zmeu. This gives him the ability to bring a victim's actual fears into reality for a short time, summoned from his magic and appearing as creatures made of its black mist.

[u][b]Abilities:[/b][/u]

Even without the use of his illusions, Ignis is a very good liar, capable of hiding the usual signs (shifting eye contact, twitching, stuttering in tone) to get people to believe him. Because of this, he can put up a good act to get people on his side, even moreso if he's reading into their memories to take advantage. Sometimes, his acting isn't always convincing, often bordering on overdramatic when he gets too into it (though doing his best not to get too hammy). When others do catch on to his lies, however, he drops it without a cinch.

In combat, Ignis is very quick and agile, sometimes moving at blinding speed to confuse his opponents. Since he focuses more on his powers when fighting, he makes use of this by going for quick, weaker blows to try and weaken his foes, in an attempt to overpower them and use his magic on them. Sometimes, his speed can allow for a delayed reaction to his opponents, taking several seconds before their injuries are realized. To this, he tends to end it off with a flourish, slowly sheathing his blade and clicking it in at just the right time (much like Vergil of [i]Devil May Cry[/i] fame).

Aside from these, in his spare time, Ignis knows how to make a good diamond.

[u][b]Appearance:[/b][/u]

Ignis is about six feet in height, his skin deeply tanned. His hair is black with red highlights, reaching at shoulder-length and with bangs covering the left side of his face, hiding his glowing red eye. If looked at closely, the pupil of the eye is a simplified version of the [url=http://silenthill.wikia.com/wiki/Halo_of_the_Sun]Halo of the Sun.[/url] His right eye is black, and his cheekbones are very prominent. His clothing follows his black and red color scheme, consisting of a black waist coat worn over a white dress shirt with black and red-lined wrist cuffs, a red cravat worn slightly undone around his neck, black and red-lined gloves, black dress pants and a pair of black boots that always seem neatly polished. Over this is a longcoat that, also true to the color scheme, is black on the outside and a dark red in the inside, with the more complex symbol of Silent Hill's cult branded on the back. (see [url=http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu121/UMIYURI/design2010017.jpg]here[/url] and [url=http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i433/mechmarc/TI-Ignis.png]here[/url] with some minor differences (credit goes to Marc on the latter drawing))

As Zmeu, traces of his old form begin to surface. His skin turns deathly pale, scales forming around the neck, his lips blackened and teeth crooked, eyes turning full black and red, the glow from his red eye even brighter. His hair becomes a lot more wild, and he has a constant crazed look on his face, twitching erratically, unable to speak aside from inhuman shrieks and snarls. Though humanoid, he has some lizard-like qualities, crawling on all fours, leaping about and latching onto walls with dull, rusted blades on his hands like claws, even forming a pair of wings from his magic to resemble that of a dragon, much like the creature he represents. In this form, his clothes change to a black, torn bodysuit with only one sleeve on the left arm and red lightning prints, open at the chest and with many belts wrapped around him, some very loosely (insert Nomura joke here). On his abdomen is a giant, vertical red eye, occasionally blinking, but always open to amplify his powers.

[u][b]Weapons:[/b][/u] A cane sword with a gun modified at the end. The cane matches his color scheme, red and black, but with a gold embroidery, the hilt for the blade under a thick gold handrest. The thin blade is single-edged, with a red line going down the center. The gun barrel lies at the end of the "sheath," the mechanism for the trigger within the cane that fires once the blade is "clicked" a certain way. The gun fires no actual bullets, instead amplifying his Nightmare magic or black flames in its place. He obtained this upon developing his Nightmare magic, as a facet for developing his powers.

[u][b]Equipment:[/b][/u] Upon forming an alliance with the Scarecrow, Ignis carries some of the Batman villain's trademark fear toxin with him, mostly in needle form, but often carrying the canisters at certain points. Unlike those put under its influence, the toxin instead enhances and amplifies his powers when used on himself, in part with his nature as a nightmarish manifestation. Though he will use the toxin to throw his enemies off-guard, he mostly uses the hallucinogen to make himself stronger. Because of this, the fear toxin is like an addictive drug for him, constantly craving for it and suffering withdrawal if unused for a long period of time.

[u][b]History:[/b][/u]

Ignis Fatuus is a monster manifested from the fears and negative thoughts of Stephan Shepherds, symbolizing a Will o' the Wisp, [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zmeu]the Zmeu[/url], and, minorly, the classic incubus. He represents all of the previous Nightmare-wielder's fatal faults: his destructive and irrational anger, manipulation of his family and need for dominance, a previous addiction, and philandering of young women and repressed bisexuality. All of these traits overblown and shaping itself into this one being.

At first, Ignis was nothing more than a wisp of red light, watching Stephan from windows and key locations, supposed "hints" to where the boy had to go. However, after several Otherworld visits, the wisp became much more powerful and destructive, pursuing the dark mage with black flames obliterating everything in its path, similar to the Void in [i]Downpour.[/i] It was when Stephan found himself in the Alchemilla Hospital, facing a repressed memory of a near-death scenario as a child, that this manifestation took a more humanoid form, cementing itself as a personal monster and hunter for Stephan, much like [i]Silent Hill 2's[/i] Pyramid Head to James Sunderland, [i]Origins'[/i] Butcher to Travis Grady, and [i]Downpour's[/i] Bogeyman to Murphy Pendleton. Unlike the aforementioned monsters, this manifestation showcased its intimidation not through slow pursuit and carrying a large weapon, but through blinding, illusory speed, moving through the dark without being seen, and overpowering by quick and weak attacks to bring its victim down. Though Stephan escaped at first, he was caught when trudging through a replica of his home, this monster with its lizard-like movements constantly beating him down until it went for the killing blow...

When Stephan awoke, the monster was gone. Everything was back to normal (or as normal as it was for the likes of Silent Hill), and he was allowed to leave the town. However, what he didn't know was that the monster now lied within the boy, its place contained within a red eye formed in place of his left eye.

In the time spent within Stephan Shepherds, the wisp lied dormant within, unresponsive, though invading the young man within his nightmares. Through his eyes, it saw everything, from the meeting with the Holy Mother, who sensed its place within the boy, to the reunion with his sister, Audrey Marianna Jones. These two instances stood out the most for the manifestation, the events slowly and gradually bringing it out and eating away at the boy for full possession.

It wasn't until the siblings' venture into the world of Baten Kaitos that the monster not only began to take control, but also began to form its own identity. The game's antagonist; Melodia, a girl possessed by the will of an evil god/otherworldly forces; saw right through the boy and called to the being within, bringing him to prominence and allowing him to speak through the boy. From there, he began to refer to himself as Ignis Fatuus, naming himself after the will o' the wisp form that he took at the start, and was given a promise of full possession once the corrupt girl's plans were carried out. Predictably, it wasn't to be, for the good guys were able to defeat the dark forces and save the world. However, throughout the journey, he bore witness to Audrey's emotional weakness in being manipulated, discovered her previous murder spree, and found her developing a crush on Kalas, the hero of the game, in spite of the fact that she already had a boyfriend. All of these became factors into the monster's planning to make the girl's life a living hell.

Eventually, the possession became a fight for control between Stephan and Ignis. During the time Audrey had bought a place for herself in Twilight Town, the young man had broken in under the monster's influence, with the intent of attacking the girl in her sleep. Though Stephan fought back long enough for Audrey to wake up and find out what was going on, he had lost it the minute she came into vicinity, Ignis taking full control of the boy and even beginning to change into his natural form (or at least, in Audrey's eyes). Although the Dream Mage fought back, her boyfriend Sorin Mireu coming to her aid, the Zmeu-esque monster had showcased its first use of its illusions, trapping the girl into a personal hell as it moved in for the kill. However, Audrey was able to break free from the nightmare, thanks to Sorin's voice calling to her. With their combined efforts, they defeated the monster, allowing Stephan to retake control of himself. Having had enough of the manifestation, the Nightmare-wielder decided to reject it for good. In a fit of reckless anger, he [i]stabbed[/i] out the red eye that contained it, the monster finally forced out of his being. However, not only did this result in a major injury for Stephan, but his magic set was removed due to the rejection of his monster, leaving him completely powerless. But nevertheless, his personal nightmare was finally over...

Or so he thought. Due to his "rejecting" without truly admitting to his faults, Stephan Shepherds was called right back to Silent Hill, trapped in the limbo-like state known as a "Full Circle." As a result, along with the rejected powers of Ignis' latent abilities and Nightmare magic, and the incident with the Otherworld breaking out in several worlds, the manifestation was reborn, once again as a physical being. This time, he was given full consciousness, interacting with those outside of his manifestor's hell, and had taken possession of the boy's magic set, along with his own powers of dark pyromancy and illusions. His form had become that of a handsome man with traits fitting the image of Audrey's ideal man, all in order to manipulate his originator's sister further. His natural form was locked deep inside, waiting to be conjured into being by his own power.

Thus began a new life for Ignis Fatuus, the Nightmare Illusionist. His rise to villainy was only just beginning.

Admittedly, the first days of his rebirth weren't easy, having to get used to his new form while struggling with his true nature. He had met several Interferences along the way, some attacking him for his stance as a villain, while others took to his lies of his being merely an inexperienced Internal. However, after some time, Ignis fully adjusted to his newly given role, developing on his powers and conjuring up a weapon of choice, his cane-sword-gun, as a facet for his Nightmare magic. He briefly returned to his homeworld to meet with his manifestor one last time, thanking the boy for giving him a life of his own and mocking him for his weakness and inability to escape the town. Letting him know his plans on using the boy's former powers to twist people into his will, as well as a final note on what he plans to do with Audrey, he witnessed as, in his state of rage and despair, Stephan Shepherds attempted suicide. Ignis left his world on that note, knowing the boy would be sent back to face his trials all over again, his weakness only continuing to make the Nightmare Illusionist stronger.

Appearing at the ruined city of Siam-Sid in Amestris, while planning for his "reunion" with Audrey Jones, Ignis was surprised to find not only Sorin Mireu and an Interference by the name of Isaac Zivaku, but also Kalas, the protagonist that Audrey had taken a liking to. Though he at first appeared amiable to them, he began to fight back the minute they found him out, testing his illusions and Nightmare magic on them. Although they fought against his dark powers, that wasn't to say that they weren't affected by them. He witnessed as, in a sudden bout of panic and rage, the one-winged boy turned back into the form of the corrupted angel that he first saw him as through Stephan's eyes, taking the chance to retreat the minute he turned on his allies. Ignis watched on from the shadows, taking note of each of the Interference's abilities for whenever he would encounter them in the future. Reappearing once the fight ended, he gave them a final warning should they meet again, as well as a threat to Kalas that he will be hunting him down, before he left.

His next destination was Castle Oblivion, with the intent to have a silent moment to himself without anyone trying to kill him. Instead, he found himself encountering Alexander Karsath, the Original Interference. Or rather, an alternate version of Alexander, from a future left over from a major event in the worlds known as the War of Heaven and Hell. The Nightmare Illusionist temporarily allied himself with the alternate Interference on an obligation that he would assist bringing about a confrontation between him and the Alex of the current universe, so long as the alternate returned the favor in helping him against Audrey, on the false word that she had wronged him in some way. Thankfully for them, their targets had already allied with each other, along with Sorin and a ninja named Mary Delgado, searching for answers on one of the many mysteries surrounding the worlds. Setting up their plan of attack and the location to lure the Interferences to, Ignis left while the alternate Alex went to set up the bait, teleporting to the location in mind: the Keyblade Graveyard.

There, Ignis waited for the heroic Interferences to arrive, his plan to lure the Dream Mage away already set in his mind. Once AlternAlex had set his plan to motion, leading the Original Interference away for his own battle, the Nightmare Illusionist made his move, trapping the girl in an illusion that made her believe that Sorin was dragging her away, while the real Sorin and Mary fought off the Nobodies under the alternate Interference's control. Only when she was far enough did Ignis lift the illusion and take her to a section of the massive battlefield, where the fight between Aqua and Braig took place, to confront her. There, Ignis revealed himself as the monster who took over Stephan back then, the revelation bringing Audrey into a state of shock and fear. He had taken this advantage, beating her down with his illusions, black flames, and mastered Nightmare magic, toying with her when she thought she would win, only to have it blow up in her face (quite literally with his use of combustions). Eventually, the manifestation had rendered her completely helpless and incapacitated her. He gave her an offer to leave her and her friends alone provided that she did a favor for him, giving a strong implication of what that favor was by pointing out why he took on his current form. Despite Audrey's admitted, but disturbed, attraction towards him, she flat out refused in disgust, to which Ignis responded in kind. Reappearing on a high cliffside, he surrounded her in his black flames, severely burning her alive, and then dropped her from several feet above in her catatonic state, confident that she was dead (though disappointed that it ended so soon).

To his shock, and later his fury, that was not the case. Realizing the extent of her powers, Audrey was instead fully revitalized by her magic, having changed into the form of the Dreamer. Here, she countered his dark powers with her benevolent spells, completely unaffected by his illusions, and flying away with her own wings when he tried to teleport near her to throw off her guard. In the end, Audrey had taken the victor in their fight, AlternAlex was killed in his fight with the real Alexander (which was his true goal, as it turned out), and Sorin and Mary had managed to defeat the army of Nobodies. With every possible thing going wrong, the Nightmare Illusionist made his retreat, though had calmed himself after his loss. Instead, he went on to his next plan: manipulating Audrey's one-sided crush and taking Kalas as his personal servant.

With that, his next stop was the world of Baten Kaitos, intent on having a "meeting" with Xelha, the world's revived heroine and Kalas' true lover. He appeared before her in her ice kingdom, the sudden intrusion putting the young queen on edge. Taking advantage of her fear of him and vulnerability in regards to Kalas' disappearance, Ignis gave her "news" on the whereabouts of the one-winged boy, telling of his "emotionally broken" state and how she was the only one who could bring him out of it. Although she didn't completely believe him, having already sensed his evil, the Ice Queen still agreed to his request on leaving her world just to see the boy again, realizing that he would not give her much of a choice. Before she would start having second thoughts, the Nightmare Illusionist took her away the minute the decision was made, "escorting" her to Maleficent's old castle in the Enchanted Dominion. He sent a note to the Divine Child right after, letting him know of Xelha's captivity and their location, leaving a final threat that he would not let her go unscathed otherwise. Awaiting the winged hero's arrival, Ignis continued to offer reassurance in order to stave off any further suspicion the young woman had with him, all the while suppressing deep urges related to his personal attraction with young, innocent women. It didn't take too long for Kalas to arrive, causing a stir with the minions that resided the castle in his ensuing rage. Though Xelha was desperate to see him again, Ignis convinced her to let him speak with the boy first, reminding her of her physical weakness upon her revival. Unfortunately, his statement had brought further suspicion, having forgotten to note the fact that she had not said a word of that to anyone, not even Kalas.

Unaware that the heroine was spying on them on that note, Ignis confronted the winged boy, who, in spite of his rage and his own desperation to rescue his love, allowed the chance to talk, if only to demand why the illusionist was so interested in him. There, Ignis explained himself: his true nature as a manifestation from Silent Hill (which he found that Kalas had the misfortune of visiting not too long ago), his bringing out of dormancy by Melodia, and how he watched Audrey develop feelings for the hero. He also explained another reason why he was interested aside from manipulating his "sister," in that he believed they were not so different from their origins on being brought into the world unnaturally, not meant to exist, and born with only the flaws of human beings, among other things. Though Kalas argued against the claim that they were the same, disgusted that he'd been referred to as a genuine "monster," to Ignis' surprise, he complied to becoming his servant, sacrificing himself for Xelha's safety. However, he also negotiated to not be used against Audrey, even after Ignis revealed that she was a murderer (which Kalas neither accepted nor denied), and for the illusionist to not go anywhere near Xelha or anyone else on his world. At first, the Nightmare Illusionist agreed to the conditions, but just before he could act on his word, the Ice Queen intervened and attacked on that note. With the aid of a demon dog that stuck with the winged boy, Ignis was brought down by her spells; however, when she was ready to finish him off, he once again took advantage of her emotional vulnerability, bringing her down with words. Trapping her in an illusion, he went against Kalas' promise by forcing a kiss on her in her panicking and unaware state.

The result was Kalas' angel form breaking out in berserk rage once more, this time going after the illusionist. In spite of the damage taken from the heroine's spells, Ignis still fought back, though had more difficulty due to the angel's enhanced speed, strength, and, to his surprise, detecting his illusions. But once again, Xelha, breaking out of the illusion placed on her, stepped in before it went further, fighting her corrupted lover once more while Ignis stood back and recovered, not leaving until he had both his precious raven and the young witch. The battle didn't last long, ending in the cliched 'power of love' scenario, which the illusionist had no qualms in killing the loving moment. With the two weakened after the fight, he attempted to trap them in another illusion while there was no escape and capture them as he pleased. However, the minute he did so, they pulled out a mirror on him at the last minute, the illusion instead bouncing right back to him, to his utter shock and horror. The nightmarish manifestation was trapped in a nightmare of his own, of different monsters tearing at him, receiving judgement and execution, even faced with a version of Silent Hill's deity. However, his illusion didn't lost long; the minute the heroes escaped, he was knocked out by an unknown figure who had been watching, soon to find himself with an unexpected ally.

Retreating to the depths of his mind while he recovered, Ignis, having regained composure, decided to face with his true form that had been locked away all this time, for the purpose of gaining more power over the heroic Interferences. Rather than hold it back any longer, he became one with his inner nature, giving himself the ability to revert to his form whenever he pleased, combining it with his Nightmare magic. In turn, he was granted with one more spell, Delusion, and the ability to bring one's fears into reality like a summon. With a new, villainous resolve, he awoke, no longer in a spasm in the throne room of the dark castle, but in a vacant room on a different world entirely. It was there that he met his savior, a woman by the name of Dani, who revealed herself to be a manifestation that gained consciousness like he did, created from Audrey's sin of Rage. Because of the connection between them, she had aimed to form an alliance with the Nightmare Illusionist, explaining her desire in going after her manifestor like he did (though she wanted the girl dead, whereas Ignis aimed for further psychological torture), and that her signature powers, her hypnosis, would not work on him like his illusions wouldn't on her. With this bit of practicality, as well as her promise to bring him personal followers and servants, the fellow manifestation agreed to join forces with her, an alliance between Nightmares and Hypnotism that would soon grow to become the next rising force of villainy.

Almost immediately after their alliance, Ignis had met a young woman named Rikka Masami. Noting her goddess-complex, but lack of followers, he decided for himself and Dani to join forces with her in order to aid her in spreading her influence, making an exception to worship her aside from the forces of his homeworld in return for her alliance. Though Dani didn't agree to this at first, looking for every chance to tear down her massive ego. Ignis, manipulating the situation with their mutual animosity, sent them on a mission to acquire a ship for the Light of Destruction. Though he expected them to tear each other apart not long after sending them away, what resulted was instead the two villainesses gaining a mutual trust, but not liking each other, only working for their own ends. What he also received, aside from a few followers of his own, was information from the Hypnotic Seductress regarding a woman named Azumi Emily Ian, should he ever encounter her.

While strolling through the abandoned village in the mountain area of the Land of Dragons, Ignis then met Rikka's twin sister, Yuki Masami. Though he knew Rikka wanted nothing to do with her, there was a faint memory of his manifestor befriending the cryomancer, not long after he left Silent Hill the first time. Deciding to better his publicity among Interferences and get on the girl's good side, he played the foolish nice guy with a clumsy streak, taking on the alias 'Ignazio D'Aleo,' a name that belonged to Audrey and Stephan's grandfather on their mother's side (which he was all too willing to slander). To his delight, she believed his persona, finding him to be a good friend to rely on. With this, he parted ways with her on a good note, confident to keep her on his side for a little while longer, so long as she didn't know of his alliance with her twin.

After a brief meeting with Dani in regards to her hypnotizing the Solar Samurai, something he found to be very useful to turn against Audrey, Ignis revisited Amestris, appearing in the "cursed" town (at least to the Interferences) of Bord'wan to test out his strengthened powers. To his surprise, he had come across the Holy Mother, Cheryl "Heather" Mason, in a state of despair, as well as Azumi Ian, the woman that Dani informed him of. The illusionist hid in the shadows for a time, listening as Cheryl reluctantly explained her issue to the soldier, that she was confused over her feelings for that Isaac Zivaku, and that she still ran the risk of birthing his world's God if she were to be romantically involved with him or any other man. Deciding that he would owe up to that task as one of the Otherworld's residents, he stepped out on that note, interrupting their talk and his appearance putting the two on edge. Before he could use his 'Ignazio' persona, Cheryl immediately found him out, recognizing his presence from when she'd met his manifestor so long ago, and having already been warned of him by Audrey. With that, he acted right away, fighting against the two non-powered women (not counting Cheryl's supernatural powers) with his own powers. To Azumi, he gave her a hint to his alliance with Dani and Rikka by mentioning the fate of her world. To Cheryl, he was more forceful, psychologically breaking her down with cruel words and painful illusions, just before he forced a kiss on her. The ensuing trauma brought the release of the Otherworld, his very home dimension, his hellish nature almost unleashing itself to it all.

However, his reunion home was to be a short one. Cheryl had snapped out of the catatonic state he had put her in not a second too soon, attacking him in her blind rage with Azumi's aid. Even after he trapped the two in another illusion, his powers made stronger by the dark world, they managed to break free and continue to fight him off. Left with multiple injuries, and the Otherworld disappearing around them, Ignis Fatuus once again retreated, giving a final note to Cheryl to "check on her friend" and that she would soon become the Holy Mother that the Order wished for her to be. Though once again at another loss, Ignis calmed himself not long after that incident. Even if he was much stronger and with two capable allies, he knew it would take much more for the Interferences to know what he could truly be capable of.

What he didn't expect was for his luck to be changing much quicker than expected. During a stroll in Agrabah, the Nightmare Illusionist encountered the Batman villain, Doctor Jonathan "Scarecrow" Crane, who had been terrorizing the desert citizens with his fear toxin and Yellow Ring of Fear. Though he attempted the same on the illusionist, Ignis revealed not only did neither the toxin or the ring have an effect on him, but the hallucinogen in fact made him stronger, thanks to his being as a nightmarish manifestation. However, in turn, Ignis did not get the reaction he'd expected when trapping the man in a hallucination of his own, Crane instead feeling excitement when faced with his one and only fear. The two villains did, however, recognize each other to be very interesting characters, and thus formed an alliance that they knew would work in their interests. With an alliance of four, an idea sprung, and Ignis left the former psychologist with a note to meet him and his other two allies at the Hollow Bastion in Radiant Garden.

He'd sent word to Rikka, and then met with Dani not long after, finding her severely wounded and without the Solar Samurai. Though he helped her somewhat, he mocked her in her weakness, but also reprimanded her when he found that she had failed in bringing Kalas to their side, as well as not even bothering with Cheryl when she faced her not long after his own encounter, even though there was no discussion on her at the time. He was silenced, however, when Dani made a minor transformation, truly fearing her own monster form for reasons even he didn't know. Nonetheless, the following day, the four villains had arrived in the Hollow Bastion for the meeting.

A decision was made between the evil alliance, following Ignis' idea. They would become their own villainous organization, known from then on as "the Collective" for their goals in collecting many followers for their own reasons. With the Nightmare Illusionist acting as the main leader for founding this group, Dani became a secondary leader in her giving orders to their hypnotized victim's and collecting more people to their side; Rikka had offered her ship, the [i]White Night[/i], as a base of operations, so long as they would allow a religion to be centered on her; and Scarecrow, though not liking Rikka or her conditions, to further their powers with his research. With that, the Collective was well underway, the four acting together to further their goals and, possibly, finding an escape to the Real World.

Not long after this formation, Dani had returned after a stroll through Atlantica with good news. In order to save a friend, Azumi Ian had willingly given herself up to work for the Collective. However, she had also named her terms, only working for Rikka Masami as the Light of Destruction had already called for her to be her personal servant, and Dani on certain circumstances, not wanting to associate herself at all with Ignis or Crane unless she specified. Among these terms were also that they don't go near the Zivakus or any of their romantic partners. Though Ignis had signed the contract, he did not agree to that last term, as the Holy Mother was now protected in her association with Isaac Zivaku. However, he still aimed to go after her regardless of the terms, knowing after their meeting that the two would most likely not make it too far in their relationship.

However, not long after this, Ignis found himself haunted by a Ghost, a kind of complete Somebody that had been corrupted by darkness following the shower of hearts caused by the destruction of the synthetic Kingdom Hearts in the sequel game. This one, a "Spirit," was a corruption of a Dragoon Nobody, taking the shape of a humanoid wisp of  white smoke, almost similar to the first form that Ignis Fatuus took. There, it tried to pick at his own weaknesses, attempted to make him lose control and turn on his own group. However, the Nightmare Illusionist resisted its "whispers," letting the creature know that it could do better than trying to manipulate a fellow "monster." Though he did not destroy the Spirit, not having the qualifications to rid of it, he allowed the Ghost to pester the heroic Interferences instead. However, deep down, the Spirit's words had truly bothered him, a paranoia slowly growing inside.

Nonetheless, the Nightmare Illusionist went on to the next objective. He decided, as his 'Ignazio D'Aleo' persona, and with his ability to make diamonds, to start his own jewelry-based business across the worlds, in order to make the funds for the Collective. However, to start, he had a particular cruel intention in mind. After not confronting her for quite a while, he sought out Audrey Jones, inviting her to dinner to discuss things with her. He gave another offer for him to leave her and her friends be, one that didn't involve unwanted sexual interaction. He told her his idea of running a jewelry business, naming it after her as a 'compliment' if she helped him in clearing an 'infestation' of Heartless in one of the buildings in Radiant Garden. Though not completely trusting him, Audrey agreed to the task if it meant she would be left alone. However, the minute they arrived at the place, he had placed an illusion on her while her guard was down, leaving her to take care of the 'infestation' while he went to the RGRC to report the crime. In truth, she had not been taking care of Heartless, but rather murdering innocent civilians. When they arrived at the scene of the crime, Ignis lifted the illusion then, the realization traumatizing the girl as the memories of her rampage in Traverse Town resurfaced. With no way for her to explain herself, the RGRC had her leave the world on a word to not come back.

When she returned to her home in Twilight Town, dismayed by her unwilling actions, Ignis followed her to rub the salt in her wounds, mocking her for trusting him and flat out telling her that his little 'promise' was a lie. The minute she tried to attack him, however, he asserted control by bringing her down with his powers once more, about to take it even further and display his Delusion spell for the first time. However, Sorin intervened before it got too far, forcing him to retreat, but with him in the victor at Audrey's further broken mind. In spite of his victory, however, the committee began to suspect him due to a belief, as well as Merlin's word, that the Dream Mage could not have done what she did on her own accord. Nonetheless, even as they allowed her to set foot on Radiant Garden again, he would soon go about starting his business, the "D'Aleo Jewelry Foundation" as he would name it in further slander to Audrey and Stephan's family name.

Not long after this, he'd met with Yuki again, along with a man named Anthony Howard who seemed to know the cryomancer, in the Enchanted Dominion, originally going there to plan a kidnapping for his two victims. Once again as 'Ignazio,' he found that Yuki's friend, an Abigail Wallace, had been murdered. Knowing that it was Rikka who killed this woman, he gave a promise to help seek out the murderer, all the while continuing to leave out his alliance with her. However, it was here that his facade began to falter, his attempts in "comforting" Yuki putting Anthony on edge. Nonetheless, he still left on good terms, though working to improve his act in order to keep Yuki on his side for a little longer.

He'd then tracked Azumi down, finding her on a criminal capital known as Omega in the Mass Effect universe, joined not only by Isaac Zivaku and one called Zero, but also Cheryl and Kalas. He'd hit two birds with one stone, cornering them once they were separated from the rest of their allies. At first, he greeted them calmly, even after they angrily told him off, just speaking with the two before he carried out his plans. Though he brought them to doubt each other by bringing up Cheryl's unwanted powers and Kalas' previous betrayal, they still threatened him to leave them alone. As a last resort, he lobbed a canister of the Scarecrow's fear toxin, trapping them in a hallucination. And with that, he had his first use of the Delusion spell, forcing a kiss on Cheryl once again and on Kalas for the first time, even as they fought back. The spell trapped them in a coma, both in mental prisons that slowly corrupted them, Cheryl into the Holy Mother that she was meant to be, and Kalas as the servant that Ignis wanted (this also extended to Xelha, the spell having reached her through an intimate mindlink she shared with the Divine Child). With that, he took the comatose heroes to the [i]White Night,[/i] unaware that Isaac and Azumi had caught him at the last moment. Because he had betrayed the terms of the contract in kidnapping Cheryl, he had unwittingly allowed the maid to turn against him.

Although he expected some Interferences to come and rescue the Holy Mother and Divine Child, what went down was what he last expected. After discovering that he had gone against the contract, the Scarecrow had aided the rescue team in infiltrating the [i]White Night[/i] quietly, even after they were found by the hypnotized servants. And not only did the rescue team consist of Isaac and Sorin, but also Audrey, in spite of her sorrowful state, the girl using her Dream-based powers to free his victims of their mental prisons. Infuriated by this fact, he encountered them just before they would leave, though was convinced by Crane to let them go since he had been the traitor. Though he allowed them to leave on the condition that they leave Kalas with him, as the one-winged hero was not part of the contract, he was fooled by the boy by having a cake thrown at him, the distraction allowing the heroes to make their escape. However, despite the silliness of the situation, he had let Azumi know exactly the height of his rage. His true form almost unleashing itself, he lashed out at the soldier, assaulting her in her defenseless state. Although the villains continued to work together, the Collective still held the Nightmare Illusionist in contempt for his actions, with Rikka apprehending him for attacking her maid not long after the event; even Dani voiced her disgust for attacking the soldier woman when he had no right to. As always, he ignored all of it, honestly believing he did nothing wrong.

For now, Ignis Fatuus continues to oversee the Collective, watching their followers grow in numbers, the resources gained making them more powerful than before. Although his paranoia continues to eat away at him, now beginning to make him lose his trust in his fellow comrades, he does everything he can to ignore it. With Stephan still locked in Full Circle, the Nightmare Illusionist feels that his goals in conquest over the worlds and making his way to the Real World will finally be realized. And soon, very soon, Audrey Marianna Jones will continue to be broken until she is nothing but an empty shell, Ignis waiting for the opportunity to trap her in an everlasting nightmare of his own creation.

However, unbeknownst to the manifestation, Stephan Shepherds is slowly beginning to realize his faults. And the closer he gets to finally coming to terms with himself, the more Ignis Fatuus' power wanes...

[u][b]Hobbies:[/b][/u] Making diamonds in his spare time, when he's not being evil