Old Neil

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Youth and Engagement

Shortly after joining the Nighthawks, Neil volunteered to work in Backlund, where he spent several years teaching at a free school. During a visit to a botanical garden, he met his future fiancée, identified as Celeste Deray in Chapter 42 and called Shaliste throughout the resurrection storyline. Their first conversation concerned golden mint and its supposed ability to prevent nightmares 42.

The couple became engaged and planned to settle in Tingen. Shaliste chose a quiet house on the outskirts, hoping to plant roses and golden mint and eventually play a piano for him. Before they could realize those plans, she became gravely ill and died during winter. Neil’s attempt to save her through ritual magic failed; afterward, he avoided the piano at the church 42 45.

Resurrection Research and Corruption

Neil pursued mystical knowledge for more than twenty years to bring Shaliste back. His plan combined Life Alchemy, which would create a body, with a resurrection ritual intended to summon her spirit and reunite it with flesh. He learned the procedures from a voice he initially regarded as a divine gift—the Hidden Sage 45 46.

He secretly accumulated costly spiritual materials and preserved blood in a hidden chamber. Repeatedly drawing his own blood left him anemic, while increased Nighthawks paperwork further exhausted him. He attributed his worsening lapses of attention to lack of sleep rather than corruption 41 42 46.

Lin Chuan investigated Neil’s house and interpreted its newly purchased piano as evidence that the Hidden Sage was blurring his memories. Rozanne’s increased workload had also prevented her usual visits, removing an opportunity for someone to notice the changes 41.

Rescue and Life Alchemy

Returning home after a late night of paperwork, Neil discovered Lin Chuan inside his house. He initially tried to leave, then reconsidered when the intruder made no attempt to attack him. Lin Chuan asked him to perform Life Alchemy to create a body without possessing a living person 42 44.

Lin Chuan forced Neil to recognize the source of the ritual knowledge. As Neil approached loss of control, Lin Chuan confronted the Hidden Sage and drove it away. The whispers ceased, Neil’s spirituality stabilized, and he escaped the transformation that had begun in his face 45 46.

The following morning, Lin Chuan explained that a valid Life Alchemy ritual could not ordinarily resurrect Shaliste: her spirit body had already dissipated. Neil nevertheless offered his life, spirituality, and possessions for even a chance to try. Lin Chuan apologized for testing his suffering and promised to save her without demanding payment 48 49.

Neil then performed the human transmutation ritual for Lin Chuan. Although the blood supply was short by two-thirds, Lin Chuan completed a bodily shell using the Hidden Sage’s information-related powers. Told that Shaliste’s return might take several years—or a little over a decade at the latest—Neil declined an offer of deep sleep and chose to remain in Tingen and help him 49 50.

Appearance

• Elderly and physically frail: Near retirement, with a weatherworn body and less stamina than in his youth 42.
• Eyes: Cloudy and tinged with dark red 42.
• Clothing: Wears a classical black warlock’s robe and carries charms in a concealed waist pocket 44 45.

Personality

Neil’s enduring attachment to Shaliste drives both his research and his vulnerability. He spends decades seeking her resurrection and struggles to accept that the ritual might not restore her. Even after learning that her spirit has dissipated, he reasons that Lin Chuan would not have sought them out without a purpose 45 48.

He is considerate toward colleagues and protective of newcomers. He volunteers to draft most of the Nighthawks’ case-closing reports, swaps shifts so Bredt can celebrate his wedding anniversary, and warns Klein about dangerous organizations before such information would normally be available to a civilian recruit 42 70 98.

His caution remains evident despite his desperation. He avoids confronting an unknown intruder recklessly, refrains from using an inadequate charm against Lin Chuan, and questions whether the Hidden Sage’s ritual instructions might contain a trap. Once rescued, his gratitude makes him deeply deferential toward Lin Chuan, whom he regards as a god 44 45 46.

Abilities & Skills

Occultism and Ritual Magic

• Teaches Klein practical Beyonder skills, including pendulum divination, alongside broader occult knowledge 98 109.
• Preserves his hidden blood supply through ritual magic 42.
• Identifies Arabic symbols in Roselle’s diary as numbers through his research 90.
• His early mystical knowledge was insufficient to save Shaliste, and he did not understand the acting method or the Mystery Pryer maxim, “Do as you wish, but do no harm” 45.

Life Alchemy

• Knows the procedures for Life Alchemy and resurrection taught by the Hidden Sage; Lin Chuan confirms that the instructions themselves are genuine 46.
• Performs the preliminary material mixing and directs the completed ritual toward Lin Chuan using his honorific name in Ancient Hermes 49 50.
• Can conduct the ritual but cannot supply its higher-level power independently as a Sequence 9 Beyonder 45.
• Creating a body does not, by itself, restore a person whose spirit has completely dissipated 48.

Spirit Vision and Spiritual Intuition

• Activates Spirit Vision by bending his right index finger and tapping his forehead 44.
• His spiritual intuition warns him against examining Lin Chuan, stopping the activation before he can look 44.
• Uses Spirit Vision during the Nighthawks’ investigation of a lead connected to the Antigonus Family Notebook 117.

Administration and Expense Claims

• An accomplished expense claimant, earning twelve pounds per week from the Nighthawks 41.
• Handles documents, ancient texts, and case reports in his civilian post 42 70.
• Provides Klein with requisitioned documents, a revolver, and demon-hunting bullets 70.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Darkness Pathway charms: Carries palm-sized silver Slumber, Requiem, and Dream charms. Requiem can soothe several kinds of undead and has limited effectiveness against wraiths and evil spirits 45.
• Ritual supplies: Keeps herbs, essential oils, symbol-covered sheets, and research notes above his fireplace 41.
• Life Alchemy materials: Prepares 100 milliliters of Sonia Island’s Golden Spring water, 50 grams of star crystal, half a pound of gold, 5 grams of phlogiston, 30 grams of hematite, and blood from a living person 49.
• Memorial photograph and piano: Keeps Shaliste’s photograph in his home and acquires a piano during the period of his corruption 41.

Relationships

• Shaliste / Celeste Deray — Deceased fiancée. Their planned life together and her death motivate his decades-long resurrection research 42 45 48.
• Lin Chuan — Rescuer and recipient of Neil’s Life Alchemy ritual. Neil offers to serve him, but Lin Chuan frames their relationship as helping rather than service. Neil also willingly sponsors him with fifteen pounds 46 50 52.
• Klein Moretti — Junior colleague and occultism student. Neil warns him about secret organizations, teaches divination, and reminds him not to lower his guard after favorable results 70 109 117.
• Dunn Smith — Nighthawks captain and colleague; they participate together in the investigation of a notebook-related lead 70 117.
• Rozanne — Colleague who had previously visited his home. Her increased workload prevents the visits during the period when his corruption worsens 41.
• Bredt — Civilian colleague for whom Neil covers a shift so he can attend an anniversary theater performance with his wife 98.
• Hidden Sage — Source of the knowledge and corruption behind Neil’s resurrection project. Its influence nearly causes him to lose control before Lin Chuan intervenes 45 46.

Story Role / Major Arcs

• An averted tragedy: Lin Chuan recalls the original storyline’s loss of control and death, including an almost invisible figure playing Neil’s piano. His intervention here clears the corruption before that outcome occurs 41 46.
• Klein’s continuing mentor: Neil remains available to teach occultism and joins the team investigating the Antigonus Family Notebook, where he encourages Klein to divine the operation’s outcome without treating success as a reason to relax 98 109 117.
• Changed ritual instruction: Lin Chuan recalls that Neil’s original debt-reimbursement ritual prompted Klein to develop his own honorific incantation. With Neil’s material expenses reduced, Lin Chuan instead supplies the explanation of prayer-based messaging 85.

Notable Quotes

“What price do you require of me? As long as we can try... even if it costs my life, my spirituality, everything I have!” 48

“I can't lie in a coffin waiting for gifts. That would be far too greedy.” 50

“Looks like good news. But remember, you must stay vigilant at all times. Don't let your guard down.” 117