Kiva no Arduano

Ilustración reciente de Kiva

Kiva no Arduano, also known simply as Kiva /kˈiːvə/ or by his full native name Kiri-vara no Terra /kˈi͡əɹi-vˈɑːɹə nˈəʊ tˈɛɹə/, is one of the central characters in the series Myths and Legends of Forgottenland.

He first appears in the book of the same name, where he serves as the main protagonist of the story’s opening chapter.

Identity and origin

Born in Terra at the beginning of lunar year MMIIX in the Forgottenland calendar, Kiva is an occultist of the Vara species who is currently a fugitive from the guardians of order and security in his dimension.

In the present timeline of the narrative, Kiva wanders among humans, hidden in plain sight and observing them in silence. He studies their customs, records their habits and weaknesses, and commits his findings to the Logbook, a compendium of knowledge he intends to complete before his deathbed.

The Vara species

According to the records of the Great Library of Arduano, the Vara are described as predominantly animal-like creatures, capable of extremely passive or violently aggressive behaviour, but endowed with very limited intelligence. They typically have purple-toned skin covered in brightly coloured fur, and move on four legs, with a morphology closer to beasts than to humanoids.

Because of this anatomy and their biological particularities, the Vara cannot crossbreed or reproduce with other lifeforms from either Terra or Meta. The inhabitants of Meta, mostly humanoid in appearance, have adopted reproductive methods more comparable to those of humans and the animals of their own dimension, creating an additional barrier between the two species.

Kiva as an anomaly

Within this context, Kiva represents an unprecedented evolutionary anomaly. Despite retaining the characteristic traits of his species—purple skin, sharp teeth and a teal-blue coat unusually striking for a Vara—Kiva has developed a series of attributes that bring him closer to the inhabitants of Meta than to his own kin.

This Vara walks on two legs, articulates words and sustains complex conversations, something unthinkable for the rest of his species. Even more notable is his capacity for abstract reasoning, comparable to that of the Meta, which makes him a unique case not only among the Vara, but within Terra as a whole.

Full-body illustration of Kiva.

Although from one perspective his existence could be interpreted as a genetic miracle, in both Terra and Meta Kiva is regarded primarily as a dangerous phenomenon. For the Vara, his upright posture and overly lucid mind separate him from the instinctive, simple behaviour that defines their people. For many inhabitants of Meta, on the other hand, his animal origin and hybrid morphology make him an aberration—something that was never meant to be.

Walking on two legs when all of his species move on four not only distinguishes him physically, but reinforces his condition as an “other” in every gaze. His intellect is too complex to genuinely relate to the more passive Vara, yet his temperament is too calm and contained to integrate among the aggressive ones. This tension leaves him trapped in an in-between space: too much “Vara” to be accepted as Meta, too “Meta” to still be seen as just another Vara.

The Vora Incident

The distrust of the Meta towards Kiva does not arise out of nowhere. The records of the Great Library mention previous cases of beings emerging from the Vara with anomalous intellectual capacities, all of them associated with devastating consequences for the inhabitants of both Terra and Meta. The most cited example is that of a monster known as Vora, also originally of the Vara.

Vora possessed extraordinary intellect, but that very lucidity amplified his destructive and hostile nature towards both his own species and other lifeforms. His existence culminated in a series of events considered atrocious in both regions, until he was finally neutralised by the guardians of Meta. Since then, his body has remained frozen in the section dedicated to anomalous phenomena in the Great Library, as a permanent warning of what can happen when a Vara exceeds the limits intended for their species.

In light of the so-called Vora-Vora Incident, many Meta perceive Kiva not only as an accident of nature, but as the potential repetition of a tragedy that nearly wiped out all species in his dimension. The mere fact that a Vara with capacities comparable to Vora attempts to reach Meta turns his possible arrival into a threat the guardians consider impossible to allow. For this reason, Kiva’s escape towards the upper region is interpreted as a risk that must be prevented at all costs, even if it means pursuing him beyond the borders of Forgottenland.

Name and etymology

The name Kiva is an abbreviated form built from his two main components: the first two letters of Kiri and the first two letters of Vara. Kiri is the characteristic sound or whimper of his species, transcribed phonetically as /kˈi͡əɹi/, while Vara designates the species to which he belongs.

His full name, Kiri-vara no Terra, functions as a native formula combining personal identity, species and origin: the particle no Terra indicates the region he originally comes from. After leaving Arduano and eventually Forgottenland, Kiva adopts the form Kiri-vara no Arduano as his final name. This change not only marks his definitive departure from his place of origin, but also acts as a deliberate reminder of where he comes from, as he is the only known member of his species to have escaped.

The last of the Vara (spoilers)

As the title itself suggests, no other member of his species has managed to leave Terra alive, and until Kiva’s escape this was the established status quo. Kiva, however, persists in his dream of proving his ability to climb the Mana Tree and reach the limit of the sky of his universe, tear through it, and arrive in Meta, the world that lies above his own.

Nevertheless, there are numerous reasons why no one has succeeded before, and just as many reasons why that underground world is, precisely, “underground”. Kiva is about to confront each of these reasons as his flight drags him beyond the known borders of Forgottenland.

Personality

Kiva is characterized by an intense yet contained curiosity, oriented almost always towards silent observation rather than direct interaction. He prefers to remain in the shadows, studying others from a distance, and rarely takes the initiative to start a conversation, even when he understands exactly what is happening around him.

His anomalous condition marked him deeply, creating a persistent sense of loneliness and displacement in relation to both the Vara and the inhabitants of Meta. Over time, that emotional burden faded into a cold acceptance of his own difference, so that he no longer perceives it as a weight, but as an inevitable fact of his existence. At this point in the narrative, Kiva holds no explicit resentment towards Terra or Meta; instead, he has transformed any initial hurt into a calculated distance and an almost clinical perspective on his surroundings.

Kiva was not raised within human or Meta notions of morality, but under the behavioral patterns of the animals of Terra: fighting, attacking and defending as instinctive responses, without an elaborate ethical framework. As a result, pragmatic morality—in human terms—is not intuitive to him. For Kiva, morality functions mainly as a set of variables to study: codes he observes, compares and records. However, he has closely studied the moral systems of Meta and humans, and he tends to adhere to them when surrounded by individuals of those races, especially if they are watching him. His ethical behavior is, therefore, more learned and strategic than deeply internalized.

Rather than clear personal interests, Kiva seems to be guided by a single axis of motivation: the need to complete and expand his Logbook. As long as he can add new entries, patterns and observations, the moral or emotional outcome of the events he witnesses is almost irrelevant to him. At times he even provokes conflicts or tense situations—such as fights, disputes or confrontations—purely to document the reactions of those involved. Although he does not feel particularly conflicted when things go wrong as a consequence of these situations, he does try to prevent certain extreme outcomes when he senses that the resulting suffering will not provide any new meaningful information for his Logbook. Even so, he rarely participates actively in these episodes; he remains on the sidelines, recording and analyzing—more chronicler than actor.

His relationship with Meta is framed primarily as an intellectual and symbolic rivalry. Kiva seeks to become the first Kiri-vara—and, by extension, the first individual born of Terra—to complete a Logbook worthy of the Great Library, a feat previously achieved only by the wisest Meta in the universe. For him, finishing his Logbook is not just a life project, but a declaration of superiority: a way of proving to Meta that a being deemed aberrant and inferior can surpass the work of those who see themselves as the standard of perfection.

As for his view of the world, Kiva tends to regard Terra as the realm to which he still belongs, despite everything, and with which he maintains a tacit sense of loyalty. Humans, by contrast, are more like objects of study: they fascinate him, do not truly frighten him, yet he never underestimates them. He analyses their reactions, decisions and contradictions with almost clinical care, recording every detail in his Logbook. Although his relationship with them evolves slowly, certain encounters gradually push him to become more involved in the central events of the human world, narrowing the distance between observer and participant.

Although most of his bonds are strictly functional, there are exceptions that define his story. Shykare, an Ippi-vara who accompanied him during much of his life, is one of the few affective ties Kiva came to acknowledge—a bond cut short violently when Sheiki (a mercenary from Meta) killed her to force him to surrender.

Kiva understands the pain of others and, in some cases, acts to prevent it, especially when he senses that suffering will not add new information to his Logbook. However, he is not sentimental in the human sense of the term. Nor is he necessarily cold; his emotions exist, but they are expressed with the restraint and economical body language of an animal. He practically lacks any sense of humor: he rarely interprets a situation through the lens of comedy, and his approach to the world is sober, distant and, in many cases, overtly serious. This combination of contained sensitivity and lack of expressiveness reinforces the image of a meticulous and reserved observer, more interested in understanding and recording than in participating or easing the tension of the situations he witnesses.

Base stats and role

Attribute	Value
Role	Long-range mage / close-range fighter
Max HP	4,800,000
Max PP	7,400
Primary range	Long-range magic, short-range burst in Phenomenon

Base form (Kiri-vara no Terra)

Type	Name	PP Cost	Cooldown	Description
Passive	Kiri-gaze Intimidation	0	N/A	Fixes a target; once Kiva has learned his 3 active abilities, any attacks that require aiming and shooting at him lose more than 50% accuracy.
Passive	Magic Shield	0	N/A	Rebuilds a shield that, while active, pushes back enemies who hit Kiva in melee. Requires 3 turns without melee damage to reactivate.
Active	Perspective Illusion	300	10 turns	Shifts and reorients the entire battlefield (including allies and enemies), being able to invert, rotate or change coordinates.
Active	Speak to the Environment	200	3 turns	Raises stone, plants and ground materials to attack or shield. Allows Kiva to speak to and command plants and animals in the area.
Active	Poof!	250	7 turns	Makes a projectile or inanimate object about to touch Kiva disappear (does not affect living or sentient beings).
Ultimate	Phenomenon	2000	1 use per fight (recommended)	Kiva transforms into a Vora-like form for up to 10 turns (or until deactivated), replacing his entire kit with Phenomenon-specific abilities.

Phenomenon mode

Type	Name	PP Cost	Cooldown	Description
Passive	"($=$""=$)#"=$(#$%/"/	0	N/A	Smells the blood of low‑health enemies, sees them through walls and can run quickly towards them.
Passive	"($=$")%/"#=!"($/))%"	0	N/A	Can devour immobilised beings; each bite (1 turn) reduces the victim’s maximum HP by 20% (up to 5 bites to kill).
Active	Efficient Tear	350	Same as base actives	Dashes at long range to the target’s weak point, applying bleed for 5 turns (5% HP per turn).
Active	Blood Pact	300	Same as base actives	Only usable on bleeding targets; tastes their blood and restores 5% of Kiva’s HP per bleed stack.
Active	Magic Cage	300	Same as base actives	Traps a melee enemy in a magical cage they cannot leave for 4 turns.

Special Spells

Type	Name	PP Cost	Cooldown	Description
Special Spell	Invisibility	500	20 turns	Kiva becomes invisible for up to 3 turns, or until he deactivates the spell.
Special Spell	Blink	500	20 turns	Kiva teleports from one coordinate on the map to another, avoiding an ability or catching a target.

Items

Item	Removable	Active/Passive	Cooldown	Description
Logbook	Not removable	Passive	N/A	Kiva’s personal record. Allows him to discover and document the weak points of species he already knows, activating or enhancing abilities that benefit from that information.
Mana Staff	Removable and transferable	Passive	N/A	Main focus for channeling Kiva’s mana. While he carries it, his maximum PP remains intact; without it, his maximum PP is reduced by half during combat.

Appearances

• Myths and Legends of Forgottenland – first appearance as the main protagonist of the opening chapter.
• Theory of Hypernova – recurring secondary character.

Fun

Character interactions

Character(s)	Relationship	Description
Kiva & Savrien	Late-night tabletop companions	Kiva does not show particular interest in humans such as Savrien, whom he tends to regard as leading ordinary lives with little worth recording. Their connection begins when Kiva, by accident, draws Savrien’s attention, and Savrien innocently invites him to join a Dungeons & Dragons session he had been playing alone. Although Kiva does not appear especially invested in the game itself, he becomes fascinated by the crystal die Savrien uses, enough to remain there simply to discover the purpose of the object. Over time, this chance encounter develops into something resembling a friendship: Kiva starts appearing at Savrien’s window every Saturday at midnight to play various board or tabletop games with him, sometimes joined by Savrien’s friends, who eventually grow accustomed to his presence. None of them —Savrien included— knows Kiva’s real name; they refer to him only as “the wizard who comes to play with us on Saturdays,” a title Kiva has never bothered to correct.
Kiva & Mukka	Distant observer and uneasy respect	Kiva’s relation to Mukka is marked by a certain tension: Kiva usually observes him from a distance in order to avoid becoming involved in his affairs, even though they share the same late-night game sessions with Savrien. This dynamic changes when Mukka experiences a severe mental breakdown after killing his girlfriend, Kanvir, in an act of self-defense to prevent her from devouring him. On that occasion, Kiva steps out of hiding and sits beside Mukka on a bench. Holding his logbook and pen, Kiva asks Mukka whether he regrets what he has done. Overwhelmed and confused, Mukka admits he does not truly understand what happened and asks Kiva for advice. Kiva responds that “many risks are taken when forming bonds with beings one does not understand; among them is the risk of devouring or being devoured.” He then adds: “If something you love that deeply hurts you in such a way, it will only be worth it if that pain no longer matters to you.” From that night onward, even if he does not consider Kiva a close friend, Mukka comes to view him in a more favorable light, carrying a quiet respect for the strange wizard who chose to sit with him at his lowest.
Kiva & Seth	Quiet curiosity and shared otherness	Kiva shows a particular interest in Seth, largely because of what he is: a phenomenon, a human genetically modified to resemble a cat. Unlike with many other individuals, Kiva does not feel the constant need to hide when interacting with Seth, even if he does not watch him frequently due to the lack of overtly dramatic events to record. Seth is one of the few characters who actually knows Kiva’s name, a detail that sets their interactions apart from most of Kiva’s other connections. Seth’s innocent and gentle nature captivates Kiva, who occasionally appears solely to share conversation and tea with him. Kiva believes that society views Seth in a way that mirrors how it views himself, as both are, in different forms, products of human experimentation rooted in the era of the Cold War. This perceived shared sense of “otherness” reinforces Kiva’s quiet attachment to Seth and explains his willingness to be more openly present around him.
Kiva & Zenith	Professional rivalry and lingering resentment	Kiva associates the name Zenith with a persistent irritation: Zenith is an Arduan from Meta who once documented Kiva in the Great Library as a dangerous animal, mocking his “pseudo-intelligence” and noting that “although it can bite hard, it does not deserve to be considered a threat.” To Kiva’s dismay, Zenith later follows a path strikingly similar to his own, escaping from Arduano in order to keep a field log of the human world —a realm the Arduans never managed to document properly. The situation becomes even more aggravating for Kiva when they end up seated directly across from one another at the same Dungeons & Dragons table, alongside Savrien and Mukka. Kiva views Zenith as a rival and a professional affront, while Zenith appears largely indifferent to this hostility and simply laughs at him.
Kiva & Kara	Hidden spectator and cautious admiration	Kiva observes and learns a great deal from Kara, whom he considers both bold and cunning in combat. At the same time, he notes that she often lacks common sense and can be overly sentimental when making tactical decisions. He frequently sits in the shadows to watch Kara fight, quietly documenting her actions. Kiva has also read about her in books left by other Arduans in the Great Library, detailing her life in alternate realities, which only deepens his curiosity. During one training session in which Kara came close to death, Kiva intervened by using his active ability to call the wind and deflect a dagger that would otherwise have taken off her head. Although they have not truly met yet, Kiva finds her just a little bit charming.
Kiva & Rosebane Sisters (Arianne & Danna)	Cruel experimentation and mutual hostility	Like many Arduans, Kiva does not hold demons in high regard, due in part to the historical devastation they have caused over countless eons. In the case of the Rosebane Sisters, Arianne and Danna, this distrust becomes personal. Kiva frequently uses the sisters as subjects for experiments he records in his logbook, subjecting them to various “tests” that border on torture. Arianne and Danna know exactly who he is and where he comes from, yet whenever they attempt to fight back against him, they tend to come out on the losing side and have come to view him as an aggravating nuisance. Kiva, for his part, simply takes advantage of any opportunity to worsen their circumstances by subtly “cheating” with his abilities whenever they cross his path, treating them as convenient examples for his ongoing documentation.
Kiva & Sarah	Failed curiosity and lasting fear	Kiva becomes intrigued by Sarah over the course of several years, particularly because there are comparatively few books about her in the Great Library. His curiosity leads him to shadow her movements, attempting to observe and study her as he does with many other subjects. Sarah, however, proves to be highly perceptive and, after only a few attempts, successfully discovers and captures Kiva. When he tries to present himself as friendly, she coldly informs him that she despises spies and warns him that, if he knows what is good for him, he should leave and never return, punctuating the warning by dropping him to the floor by his clothing. From that encounter onward, Kiva decides not to follow Sarah again. In his own words, he had hoped she would be as flexible as her sister, but instead he found her far more terrifying.
Kiva & Abyssal Trinity (Paranoia, Terror & Terrificante)	Forbidden observation and enforced silence	On several occasions, Kiva attempts to slip into the Offset to expand the existing records on the Abyssal Trinity, a group already documented but always at a distance due to how secretive its members are. Paranoia proves to be a comparatively “easy” subject to follow: he is aware of being watched but does nothing about it unless he perceives a genuine threat. Kiva takes advantage of this predictable behavior to observe Paranoia and, through him, gather indirect notes on his two siblings, Terror and Terrificante. Kiva’s luck runs out with Terror, who spends long periods alone and is exceptionally good at detecting the presence of others. During a moment of reflection in a temple, Terror catches Kiva, who manages to escape by using one of his abilities to push him back. Later, while attempting to spy on Terrificante, Kiva is once again discovered by Terror, this time at a vantage point where escape becomes impossible because Terrificante also notices him. With two close-combat fighters present, Kiva cannot simply knock one away and flee. Realizing he has no way out, Kiva surrenders and confesses everything he has been doing. Terror responds by tearing out from Kiva’s logbook all the pages that mention him and his siblings, then lets Kiva go on the condition that he no longer documents their activities there, explaining that such records could draw the attention of enemies pursuing them across the universe. Terrificante, for her part, chooses to sit and speak with Kiva, sharing numerous stories and pieces of information that Kiva, bound by the promise and by the missing pages, will never be able to write down. Since that encounter, Kiva has not spoken again with any member of the Abyssal Trinity.
Kiva & Kurumi	Altered fate and quiet friendship	Much like with her mother, Kara, Kiva feels a certain attraction to the way Kurumi behaves and fights. His interest intensifies after he discovers that, in another reality, Vora devoured Kurumi alive and even recorded a recipe for preparing her corpse in an infamous book stored in the Great Library. Determined to understand whether Vora’s account makes any sense, Kiva decides to follow the Kurumi of his own reality, observing her battles over the course of several years and comparing what he sees to the descriptions he has read. Shortly before Kurumi is fated to be killed, Kiva steps out of hiding, uses his ultimate to transform, and raises a magical shield to protect her, despite how monstrous his form appears. Kurumi is grateful for the intervention, and the two eventually become friends. Kiva never truly explains to Kurumi who he is or where he comes from. Instead, he lies, claiming to be a new cadet who happens to be able to transform into a monster, choosing to keep the more unsettling truths about himself and his knowledge unspoken.
Kiva & Saiya	Night swim and quiet promise	Kiva follows Saiya for a long time, and she becomes fully aware of his presence. One day, she breaks the silence by asking him, “Isn’t it uncomfortable to watch everything from up there?” prompting Kiva to come down and introduce himself politely, without showing any real fear of her. They talk for a while, and Saiya invites Kiva to swim with her. Kiva admits that he does not know how to swim, and Saiya offers to teach him; they spend the entire night in the water together, with Saiya allowing him to document their conversation in his logbook. That night leaves Kiva with a feeling he cannot properly describe, even with his notes. The experience reminds him strongly of a kitsune who once saved his life in Meta by helping him survive an attack by the guardians, and he feels unexpectedly safe in Saiya’s arms. Although he still does not fully understand what that feeling means, it consistently reminds him of a promise he made to that kitsune: to discover where she came from and send a letter back to her family. Kiva quietly notes that, perhaps, all kitsunes share the same gentle and endearing nature he now associates with Saiya.
Kiva & Genocide (Moiranos)	Reckless documentation attempt	Kiva understands that documenting a Moiranos is an exceptional challenge: there are no records written by anyone who has observed Moiranos directly, only second-hand accounts from those who survived witnessing her atrocities. For Kiva, this lack of first-hand documentation becomes a challenge rather than a warning. After a long search through coordinates and fragmented reports, he finally manages to track Genocide’s movements and follows her for an extended period, never fully certain whether she is aware of his presence. At one point, Genocide attempts to open a rift in reality to move into another. Knowing that such rifts generate anomalies capable of killing random bystanders, Kiva makes a rare choice to intervene, stepping in front of her and sealing the rift himself. Addressing her by name, he warns that her actions pose a risk to the entire universe and identifies himself as an Arduan who can report her to the Patriarchs of the Great Library. Genocide laughs, cracking her joints, and twice asks where he learned to close a reality rift. The second time, several phantom followers restrain Kiva. He responds by activating Listen to the Environment, briefly turning the surrounding antimatter against her so that it constricts Moiranos and forces her followers’ weapons to aim at her instead. As Genocide feigns fear, Kiva approaches with his staff, telling her: “I will free you from evil, and you will be the living proof of my power, whether you like it or not.” She then drops the act, regains control of the antimatter, and drowns Kiva in it. Believing himself moments from death, Kiva manages to alter the coordinates and reshape the antimatter into a rope that binds Genocide, dragging her with him as they fall from the skies of Arduano toward Meta. When Kiva finally regains consciousness on Meta’s soil, Moiranos—Genocide—is already gone, leaving him with only a failed attempt and a few dangerous notes about a being who clearly does not wish to be documented.}
Kiva & Kate	Reluctant duel and ongoing surveillance	Kate has always been a comparatively easy subject for Arduan documentation: as a criminal in Arduano’s eyes, nearly everything she does is monitored by the Great Library, including the actions of her counterparts in other realities. Kiva knows that Kate has had to jump across multiple realities to reach this one, which makes her an especially valuable subject for long-term study. Much like with Kurumi, Kara and Sarah, he spends a considerable amount of time observing her battles, her abilities and her strongest transformations from a distance. Eventually, Kate catches Kiva in the act. Instead of fleeing, he simply introduces himself and states his role as an Arduan logbook apprentice gathering information. Kate reacts poorly to this explanation and challenges him to a fight. Kiva refuses, claiming he has no reason to fight someone—especially when he is confident he could defeat her with relative ease. This remark deeply offends Kate, who insists on the duel and threatens to hand him over to the Reapers as a spy if he refuses. With few options left, Kiva accepts the challenge and proceeds to bring Kate down in record time within her own training schema, her melee attacks proving consistently ineffective against him. Kiva withdraws afterward, but not before warning Kate that he intends to continue investigating her, leaving her both frustrated and puzzled by how he managed to overpower her so quickly.
Kiva & Neru	Deliberate incursion into legend	Kiva’s interest in Neru begins with the chapter The Land That Does Not Sleep from Myths and Legends of Forgottenland. Although Neru is documented in the Great Library, she is treated more as a legend than a verified entity, as no one has ever returned with proof that they were truly trapped within the Neru State. According to those records, Neru is classified as a Type Z threat, the highest danger category, and the recommended method for avoiding her is simple: never fall asleep. For Kiva, however, such a warning becomes an invitation to investigate, especially because entering the Neru State requires doing the exact opposite. This presents an unusual problem for an Arduan, as Arduans do not need to sleep. In order to reach Neru, Kiva develops a method of forcing his own body into sleep by turning one of his abilities against himself, compelling it to obey until he finally manages not only to fall asleep, but also to shape a dream precise enough to lead him directly into the dimension where Neru normally rests. Neru immediately notices the arrival of an unfamiliar presence within the dream-space: the spirit of a Terra-born being who reached her domain without being summoned. Excited by the prospect of a new hunt, she begins tracking Kiva, only to find that he has armed himself with numerous cameras, each identical to the flash camera capable of killing her. The sight terrifies Neru, as she has never seen anyone replicate the camera without first taking the original from its resting place. Kiva then points one of the cameras at her and declares: “I am Kiri-vara no Terra, and I have come to prove your existence to the masses. I welcome you to my game. We are in your home, but this time I will set the rules. I cannot die; you cannot kill me. But I can destroy you in many different ways. You simply will not know which one I will use. On behalf of my species, I ask that you do not hate me for my actions, and that you show no mercy. That will be important for my research.” When Kiva takes the photograph, the flash fails to kill her. After glancing at the printed picture with a faint smile, he immediately runs, prompting Neru to growl, assume her true form, and pursue him at full speed. The full extent of their encounter is recounted in greater detail in Myths and Legends of Forgottenland.
Kiva & Kanvir	Soul	Due to the extensive spoilers involved in describing Kiva’s full interaction with Kanvir (which can be found in Starry Moonlight, their relationship is usually summarized through one of Kiva’s recorded monologues: “I do not have a heart either… not a human one, at least. But the soul is not found in the heart.” “The soul resides in your spirit, and you will never be able to tear that out of your body, even if you wish to.” “Your blood is not red, but it is still blood. Your purpose is artificial—yes, but so is the purpose of all of us.” “You choose your directive, and you choose your muse… My muse is not here…” (showing his logbook) “…My muse is beyond. But I will not leave this universe without making sure that muse was not in vain.” “Loving hurts… and that is not something any book teaches. But if we set human definitions aside… all of us do what we do out of love for something.”
Kiva & Jazmín	Small obsession and quiet curiosity	Chapter 1277, Kitsune Species Analysis Part 4 Subject: Jazmin Kusashi (Tag: Reaper, Kitsune, Possible Danger, Assassin) Some time ago, I started to notice a small obsession with kitsune women... And I still do not know exactly what it means. I only know that obsessions are bad. But I will not be able to understand how to deal with it if I do not first understand what I am obsessed with. Maybe it is because a kitsune once cared for me and saved my life... Or maybe because kitsune are usually gentle and protective. It could also be because of their physical attractiveness, although Arduans like me are not usually supposed to see sexual attraction the way humans do. Arduans do not reproduce sexually. I think I might be going off topic. The point is Jazmín is different from the other kitsune I have known. She is easy to understand at first glance, but she is not simple. She is transparent, intelligent, and looks quite powerful, and I notice those things. If I had to define her in one word, I would say “cute.” That still feels inaccurate. I do not know what it means yet, but her company does not feel like a disturbance. If anything, it feels easier to be around her than I expected. Note to self: This logbook entry needs to be updated later.

Fun facts

• Kiva attends the Saturday night game sessions primarily because of his fascination with Savrien’s crystal die.
• Seth is among the very few who know Kiva’s actual name, and he treats it with casual, almost childlike normality.
• Kara remains unaware that Kiva once saved her life by subtly redirecting a dagger during training.
• Kiva quietly notes in his logbook that Kurumi’s survival in his reality makes Vora’s infamous recipe feel even more grotesque and wrong.
• When Shykare was killed, only her seed remained. In an attempt at reasoning through death, Kiva planted the seed, hoping it would somehow bring her back; from it, a single plant eventually grew.
• Not truly understanding what death means, Kiva naively devoted several months to learning how to “speak” with plants, solely so he could talk to Shykare again. From this effort, he developed the ability known as “Speak with the Environment.”
• The kitsune who once saved Kiva’s life in Meta is the same one who later designed his current outfit entirely by hand, stitching it herself. Kiva continues to wear it as a quiet tribute to her.
• Like most Arduans, Kiva can be broadly considered asexual. However, due to his Terra roots, his instincts resemble those of Terra’s animals, which do seek reproduction.
• Kiva does not fully understand these instincts, but he tends to feel attraction toward individuals he identifies with on a personal level rather than toward members of his own species specifically.
• When Kiva sleeps, he dreams of counting foxes, a quiet reference to the bedtime stories the kitsune used to tell him while he recovered, using those memories to lull himself to sleep.
• Phenomenon is an ability Kiva openly dislikes and uses only as a last resort; canonically, he has used it only twice, once at the end of Myths and Legends of Forgottenland to kill Vora and once in Theory of Hypernova to save Kurumi, and he despises it because, in order to kill Vora, he was forced to eat him alive—something he had never done before and had always considered deeply immoral—made even more traumatic by the fact that Vora was roughly four times Kiva’s size.
• Kiva privately considers Saiya’s night swimming lesson one of the few times his role as an observer felt genuinely mutual rather than one-sided.

Stupid questions people would ask Kiva

Q: Kiva, would you let someone pet your head, or do you bite?

A: Eh... I don't know why anyone would do that, but if it makes them feel better, I don't see much of a problem. I avoid biting. I only bite when I get very nervous.

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Q: Do you think you're cute, or does that offend you?

A: Cute? I don't think I'm cute. I look more... porous. Eye-catching, maybe. But I suppose it depends on what each person considers cute... One Vara did say I looked handsome in this outfit.

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Q: What's your worst habit when you're alone?

A: My worst habit when I'm alone is doing nothing. It stresses me out a lot when I'm doing nothing.

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Q: Have you ever pretended to understand romance just to avoid looking weird?

A: Yes. Romance gets away from me a lot... Sometimes I pretend I understand it, but then I see what happens between some of my elements, and I definitely don't understand anything.

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Q: If someone flirts with you directly, do you freeze, run away, or answer scientifically?

A: Um, it depends... who are we talking about?

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Q: Do you look at yourself in the mirror and think, "Yeah, I look good today"?

A: I always dress the same, and mirrors attract spirits, so no... I don't do that.

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Q: Do you have any weakness that isn't physical?

A: I don't think so.

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Q: Are you aware that a lot of people find you attractive?

A: Why do people ask so many questions about being attractive?

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Q: Do you like being watched while you read?

A: No.

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Q: What's the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?

A: One time a kitsune threw me into the water, and my true figure could be seen. I'm too thin. It's not like it bothers me, but the outfit hides it better.

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Q: Are you ticklish?

A: Tickli-what? Let me see. Oh, that... I think so. I never tried to check, but according to this, all of us have them.

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Q: Has anyone ever tried to seduce you for scientific curiosity?

A: No?

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Q: Would you rather have a quiet date, a fight, or a weird conversation until 3 a.m.?

A: Any of the three is fine if you have something interesting to say.

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Q: What do you do if someone calls you "good boy"?

A: Acknowledge it?

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Q: Do you prefer hugs or do you consider them a violation of personal space?

A: It's a somewhat conflicting question... Usually people only invade my personal space to attack me...

Author's note

• This character is still under active development, so this page may not always be up to date.
• This article is still partially incomplete due to limited documentation, and some information may change over time.
• This character also has an NSFW article: Kiva no Arduano (NSFW Article). The character is over 18 years old, and readers must also be 18 or older to access that article.