Zhao Si

Biodata

Power Progression

Zhao Si’s documented growth consists of recovered combat memories, learned techniques, and battlefield experience rather than named cultivation realms or numerical levels.

Background / History

Before transmigrating, Zhao Si lived in peacetime, had never served in the military, and had not even been in a fistfight. He describes his former life as unsuccessful, which contributed to his initial timidity and insecurity 4 24.

He awakens in an unfamiliar body inside the Chapel of Anticipation. Helena recognizes him, but he has none of the previous owner’s personal memories. Her accusation that he used to lift her skirt embarrasses him, and he apologizes despite not remembering the behavior 1.

His familiarity with Elden Ring leads him to suspect that he has arrived before the Elden Ring’s shattering. He initially seeks strength simply to survive the disasters he expects, without assuming that resurrection works as freely as it does in the game 1 3 4.

Appearance

Zhao Si initially appears to be a teenage boy with delicate, handsome features and a thin, frail body. His apparent weakness contrasts with the strength and agility revealed through training 7 9.

• Hair: Black 7.
• Eyes: Dull and lightless, marking him as Tarnished 7.
• Wrist mark: A charred, hand-shaped burn left by a pale arm reaching from a mysterious flame; later associated with his Ghostflame powers 4 35.
• Chin wound: Deliberately refuses healing after Old Man cuts him, intending to retain the resulting scar as a reminder against arrogance 36 37.
• Armor: Initially trains in ordinary soldier’s armor; later wears a helmet that covers his face 5 36.

Personality

Zhao Si begins fearful of death and acutely aware of his weakness. He is willing to admit his limitations, ask for help, and accept instruction—qualities that persuade Blaidd? to teach him. Humorous comparisons to game mechanics and modern media often serve as a way to relieve his anxiety 3 4 6 21.

His confidence grows rapidly with his victories, but success also feeds his pride. Lingering Frenzied Flame corruption amplifies that arrogance into irritability and cruelty, causing him to reject criticism and lash out at Helena. After the corruption is exposed and eradicated, he accepts that his own attitude also contributed to the crisis, apologizes, and recognizes that other people’s lives do not revolve around him 34 35 36 37.

He values his companions and risks returning to battle to support Blaidd?. Although capable of ruthless killing when threatened, he does not enjoy warfare: Castle Morne’s casualties leave him condemning the rulers’ neglect of ordinary people and considering whether Destined Death could help change their system of rule 17 25 26.

Abilities & Skills

Inventory

• Stores objects without restrictions on type, slot count, or weight 3.
• Allows rapid weapon changes, including switching from a thrusting sword to an axe and club against an armored opponent 17.
• Does not eliminate the physical difficulty of handling an item after retrieval; the Executioner’s Sword remains too heavy for him to wield comfortably 43.
• Stored weapons are not automatically ready for combat. Against Old Man, he must retrieve his equipment before responding 36.

Combat Memory and Weapon Handling

• Inherited combat instincts produce a skin-prickling warning that prompts evasive movement 6.
• Restored memories supply weapon knowledge, fighting techniques, and the ability to read an opponent’s stance 21 22.
• Uses swords, parrying daggers, axes, clubs, shields, and unarmed strikes 17 22 26 30.
• Adapts tactics to armor and terrain, using oil and fire pots to create an opening against Milos 17 18.
• Instinct alone is insufficient against feints; strength and stamina also limit his use of heavy weapons 6 17.

Flowing Sword of Memory

• Uses continuous, water-like movement to follow an opponent’s force, change attack angles, and counter without meeting strength head-on 22.
• Can be applied with paired swords, an axe, a shield, or bare fists 22 25 26 30.
• Depends on sensing force, controlling breathing, and maintaining the rhythm of combat; it demands substantial agility and endurance 22.
• Force redirection is not perfect protection. His improvised counter against the Lion Misbegotten wins the fight but badly damages his body 24 25.
• Shares the same instructional lineage as Malenia’s swordsmanship, as established through their duel and his recollection of their master’s teachings 39.

Ghostflame / Destructive Spirit Flame

• Wreathes weapons in cold Ghostflame that inflicts magical damage and steals an enemy’s life 21.
• Freezes blood and can transmit its chill through an enemy’s weapon 24 26.
• Freezes and shatters airborne wood from within, enabling him to pass Eleonora’s test 41.
• Counters Frenzied Flame attacks and eradicates the lingering corruption in his own body once it is exposed 36 46.
• Can enhance Malenia’s Waterfowl Dance during their joint attack on Shabriri’s army 46.
• His initial granted technique coats weapons rather than allowing him to throw fireballs 21.
• Whether it can cure other Frenzied Flame sufferers remains unresolved in the documented events 46.

Ohega’s Dancing Blade

• Uses qi to control a weapon remotely, launching it in a drill-like spinning attack and recalling it to the hand 41 42.
• Becomes a surprise attack beyond his usual Flowing Sword techniques; even Malenia nearly suffers an unexpected hit when first encountering it 42.
• Can combine with Ghostflame to suspend and maneuver the Executioner’s Sword 43.

Prior Knowledge and Magical Engineering

• Uses knowledge of Elden Ring to anticipate Ranni’s plot against Godwyn and identify figures such as Alberich and Milos 9 12 15.
• Investigates information rather than relying solely on memory, questioning Gideon and studying gaps in the historical accounts of Radagon’s succession 8.
• Uses prior drawing experience to design a Glintstone Firearm, intended to simplify spellcasting and bypass intelligence requirements; these are design goals, not confirmed capabilities 31.
• Proposes a wearable, automatic spell-deflecting barrier for Thops’s research 30 32.
• Cannot learn Glintstone Pebble from Alberich despite later showing considerable talent for swordsmanship 14 42.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Estoc and parrying dagger — A recurring weapon pairing used for thrusting attacks and defensive interception 24 36.
• Paired curved swords — Chosen to test his restored combat memories 21 22.
• Sacrificial Axe — A crescent-bladed ritual weapon obtained after defeating a Death Rite Bird; used to behead the Lion Misbegotten and a Demi-Human Chief 20 24 26.
• Hand axe, wooden club, and short sword — Reserve weapons used during his fight with Milos; the club is cut apart by Milos’s greatsword 17 18.
• Wooden shields and Buckler — Used for defense and force dissipation. A Buckler is destroyed while testing Thops’s protective magic against Glintstone Pebble 5 26 31.
• Oil and fire pots — Supplies from Roundtable Hold used to trip and burn Milos 18.
• Baldachin’s Blessing — Consumed to create a protective film that helps him survive Milos’s otherwise lethal strike 17.
• Executioner’s Sword — Stolen from the Shaded Castle, but too heavy for comfortable use. Later entrusted to Thops and Shrimp-Meat Boy for return to Mare Mare 43 47.
• Glintstone Firearm — Delivered to him by Thops upon his return to the Academy; its combat performance is not documented 47.

Relationships

• Helena — His maiden, healer, and close companion. He confides his knowledge of Ranni’s plot to her; after their conflict, both affirm that they are family 12 14 35 37.
• Blaidd? — His first friend in the Lands Between and principal combat instructor. Refuses a formal apprenticeship, though Zhao Si continues calling him “Master”; later trusts Zhao Si to guard his back in battle 4 6 25.
• Gloam-Eyed Queen — Supernatural patron who demands Destined Death. Admits to withholding his combat memories to keep him dependent, then restores them and grants Ghostflame 20 21.
• Alberich — Initially intimidates him and calls him “little loser,” but becomes a teasing comrade. Attempts to teach him sorcery and helps fight the Death Rite Bird 9 10 14 20.
• Irina — His swordsmanship student, learning to protect herself and her father. He passes on both techniques and guiding principles of the Flowing Sword 22 27.
• Thops — Research partner and friend. Zhao Si offers funding and protection; Thops challenges his arrogance and helps him regain perspective 30 35 37.
• Malenia — His senior sister through their shared Flowing Sword lineage. Provides further instruction and joins him in seeking help for her Scarlet Rot; accepts their bond only while their interests do not conflict 39 42 43.
• Old Man — Defeats him in sparring, exposing the Frenzied Flame corruption. Directs him toward Malenia and asks him to deliver a challenge to Blaidd? 36.
• Eleonora — Teaches him Ohega’s Dancing Blade after Zhao Si passes his test with Ghostflame 41 42.
• Gideon Ofnir — Information source and mission organizer. Allows access to his library and agrees to investigate Zhao Si’s warning about true death 8 14.
• Fia — Offers comfort and hears his confession that he is from another world. His wrist mark removes the weakness he experiences after her embrace 7.
• Ranni — A central figure in the conspiracy he hopes to confront. He bluffs about the Two Fingers’ knowledge of her plans, then appeals to her when Malenia’s condition worsens 49.
• Blaidd — Ranni’s protector, distinct in the supplied text from Zhao Si’s instructor, Blaidd?. Challenges Zhao Si’s intervention and attacks him in Ranni’s domain 48 49.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Arrival and Roundtable Hold

• Helena escorts him from the Chapel of Anticipation to Stormveil Castle. His attempt to forfeit Godrick’s tournament instead earns him selection as an additional envoy, chosen so Godrick can mock his weakness before the Two Fingers 1 2.
• Travels with Blaidd?, receives the mysterious wrist burn, and begins combat training at Roundtable Hold 4 5 6.
• Raises the possibility of a true-death threat to the demigods with Gideon, then tells Helena about Ranni’s intended attack on Godwyn 8 12.

Weeping Peninsula and Castle Morne

• Joins Blaidd?, Alberich, and Helena to investigate Frenzied Flame Sickness and kill Shabriri. Survives infected rats, villagers, and a fight with Milos 14 16 17 18.
• Helps kill a Death Rite Bird; the resulting vision leads to the Queen’s restoration of his memories and grant of Ghostflame 20 21.
• Defends Castle Morne, killing the Lion Misbegotten and one of the two Demi-Human Chiefs. The battle shifts his ambitions from personal survival toward reforming the Lands Between’s violent rule 24 25 26.

Academy Research and Frenzied Flame Relapse

• Protects Thops from academy sorcerers and develops proposals for accessible sorcery, a firearm, and wearable magical defense 29 30 31 32.
• Secures an agreement involving Azur and Lusat without adequate leverage. Pride and lingering Frenzied Flame corruption make him dismiss warnings from Thops and Helena 35.
• Old Man exposes the corruption, enabling Ghostflame to destroy it. Zhao Si apologizes to his companions and reassesses his own conduct 36 37.

Shaded Castle and Malenia

• Establishes his shared swordsmanship lineage with Malenia and accompanies her to the Shaded Castle 39.
• Learns Ohega’s Dancing Blade from Eleonora and receives further Flowing Sword instruction from Malenia 41 42.
• Uses a stolen Executioner’s Sword as part of his effort to leave with Malenia, persuading her to seek the Full Moon Queen’s help despite political risks 43.

Return to the Academy and Ranni’s Domain

• Fights alongside Malenia to break Shabriri’s siege of the Academy, countering the Frenzied Flame orb and beheading Shabriri 46.
• Requests an audience with Rennala, leading to a confrontation involving Loretta, Ranni, and Blaidd 47 48.
• Reveals that Radagon and Marika share one body while bluffing that the Two Fingers know Ranni’s plans. When the revelations trigger Malenia’s Scarlet Rot, he holds her and begs Ranni for help 49.

Notable Quotes

“I'm not from this world. I'm weak, I have no power, and I don't even know what I came here to do.” 7

“But I'm not the protagonist of other people's lives. Nobody has to revolve around me.” 37