Nero the Sable

'''This is not FF7 canon. Well, some of it is. Most of it is not. This is mostly me trying to keep my notes straight. Spoilers abound.'''

Born February 22, 1972

Kid Brother

Shadow Lad

Baby Goth Born a year later, Nero shares a genetic mother with Weiss, which is unusual for those born in Deepground. Rather than repeat what had been done with Weiss, Nero was instead infused in-utero with stagnant mako which exudes a completely different energy. Where pure mako glows with the light and life of the planet, stagnant mako is dark and mysterious as the Void. When Nero was born, he pulled his surrogate into this Void. No one has ever been able to determine if she is truly dead, or alive but in another dimension. Nero cannot survive on his own in a world that depends primarily on light. His uniform circulates a constant flow of stagnant mako over his body, as well as his mouth and nose, leaving only his eyes, ears, and the upper part of his head exposed. Although powerful, he was deemed too unstable- even for Deepground- for the procedure to be repeated. As such, Weiss is especially protective as his little brother, seeing him as unique, beautiful, and one-of-a-kind.

Casting a Shadow
Unlike his siblings, Nero isn't especially strong or fast. Although the Restrictors fitted him with a prosthetic rig with false arms and a pair of hand guns, Nero is primarily a mage. He has a natural aptitude for shadows. He can manipulate preexisting shadows, or create more from nothing. He has been known to drop into and hide in the shadows of both inanimate objects and people. he also uses them as a means of travel; riding in the shadow of another, walking through a sort of shadow "tunnel" from one patch of darkness to another, or using them as a way to teleport. He can also employ the Looney Tune "hole" trick (ie: opening a hole and stepping into it and ending up in another location).

Nero's shadow powers are vast and versatile. In truth, while he is not as physically impressive as Weiss or Rosso, he is actually the most powerful of the Tsviets. The Restrictors are well aware of this and have been on a campaign of mental and emotional pressure to keep him in line ever since he was a small child. So long as Nero believes himself to be weak and inept, it will not occur to him that he could fight his captors and win.

Nero also plays an important role in keeping his siblings in line. Weiss is almost indestructible physically, and Rosso cannot feel pain. As such, Nero is often physically punished while the offender is made to watch. Nero isn't beaten, instead he is frequently made to try to breathe without his respirator, or stand in the open air without his mako suit for a brief amount of time. It isn't enough to cause permanent damage, but more than enough to drive home the point: it is only be the Restrictor's good graces that Nero is still standing. If his siblings want him alive and healthy, they had better follow the rules.