For eons, Zathura ruled Hell with a cruel and controlling hand, much like his brothers, but in his own unique way. He's calm. Eerily calm, apathetic and smiley on the surface, bubbling and hot underneath. Steam rises from his body constantly, due to the magma that is always simmering just beneath the surface of his skin. But don't let that calmness fool you. Zathura can erupt into a volcanic explosion after long moments of dormancy, until it all builds up and bubbles within him, and then he explodes! One quick and explosive burst of rage where everything around him erupts into flame, melting all those around him, as he sits in the center of its pool of lava. Once again, calm and almost tired.

He's not all-powerful. The guy has his weaknesses… Typically tiredness. Laziness, perhaps. He can fall asleep at the worst possible times, you'll be on a battlefield and oop, there he is, passed out among the bodies. His explosions will do that on occasion, when he's expelled every ounce of magma he'd had bubbling to the surface. Another flaw is his need for external validation. And if the answer is not to his liking, this will increase the build-up within him until he eventually explodes again. The people around him must tiptoe carefully to avoid his explosions, which can appear seemingly out of nowhere.

Harem

Zathura keeps harems of demons and mortals alike at his side in his castle, turning to them often for external validation, putting them on the spot to test their loyalty in the most theatrical and spontaneous of ways. For example: a subject accidentally mentions he has a temper. Zathura is calm, but now he smiles softly and turns to his harem. They know this is not a good sign. (Him smiling means he's feeling a large emotion, which usually leads to eruption.) He asks his harem, "...do I have a temper?" But it's all performative. That comment has pissed him off, and now he feels the bubbling reach its cap. He explodes, and now the entire room is on fire. His harem and the subject are destroyed as he sits among the molten river of lava. He is now much calmer. Rinse and repeat. This is how Zathura is, and it's been his personality since the dawn of time.

Cereus

But as time went on, he grew bored of it all and began exploring the realms of life, looking for something other than conquest and control. And then he met Cereus, an angel of Heaven. Her calm, watery magic began to temper his fiery nature. Through her, Zathura learned restraint, compassion, and a different kind of strength. Eventually, they fall in love.

But this doesn't sit well with Zathura's brothers (nor the high councils of Heaven for Cereus). They see him change, and they detest it, fearing that Zathura is being controlled and that Heaven might use him as a bridge to dominate Hell.

Intervention and Sealing

One day, Zathura's brothers confront him in Hell and demand he use his connection with Cereus to gain access into Heaven so they could rule both realms together. Zathura refuses. They attack him, three against one, and seal his fire magic deep within him, leaving a red circular seal on his arm. With his magic sealed, Zathura becomes incredibly weakened and is put under 'house arrest', locked in his castle and surrounded by his brothers' servants. His portal gates are closed. He cannot reach Cereus, who is also constrained by Heaven. They are separated for many, many years.

The seal is excruciating. The lava is stuck with nowhere to go, like a volcano with a cap that won't pop off. His brothers mock him (especially Garanzo) but Phayne and Zazoro insist he must be kept to a higher standard. He is still a king, just one needing to be set back on the correct path. When Zathura is finally back on their side, they will release him.

If demons discover the Fire Lords can be weakened, it will bring anarchy! Therefore, any servants who find out the truth will be destroyed immediately. The servants spying on Zathura know they won't survive this, but they fear the Fire Lords too much to side with their weakened king. Zazoro visits regularly to manipulate Zathura back to their side. It's an impossible situation, and Zathura is teetering on the edge of listening... because is it really worth it? Where is Cereus?

The Breaking Point

Only after Cereus breaks through and tries to help him do the brothers come to stop her. That final fight breaks out. Cereus helps shatter a piece of his soul off, and her own, sending them blasting through Zathura's circular portal gate. The fragments go flying through Purgatory and reincarnate as mortal humans in a life realm, where they find each other and fall in love again, though they have no memory of their true selves.

But his brothers witness this explosion and believe their brother's soul has broken before their eyes, encased in a frozen silence, for they believed since the dawn of time that none could break their souls, when little had they known, they could be the breaker of their own souls...

What is a Broken Soul?

In Hell (and Heaven), a broken soul is the final death. The corpse of a soul: unmoving, emotionless, blank, and forever gone. Feared by all, except the Fire Lords, who believed they could not break. And now they see one of their own has shattered.

They do love their brother. While they don't show it, they miss Zathura dearly and wish for him back. But they believe him gone, and they believe they too can break now. And none must realize this! They don't even talk about it amongst themselves, it's too risky. Someone could overhear. As far as demons know, Zathura is just hiding in his castle. But there are rumours... perhaps he's in there... and broken? But they don't speak that out loud. For if a Fire Lord were to hear it, they would be destroyed.

Reality

His brothers were left to see a broken soul, the body of their brother, frozen in time like a still statue. A seemingly empty, docile, emotionless, eye-glazed husk. They believe him broken; when in reality, there is a sliver of his soul missing, unable to reform back to his body in hell, while it parades around as a human in a living realm.

In their efforts to hide their folly, the Fire Lords seal up Zathura's molten circular castle in the eastern domain of Hell and have lived without him ever since, never speaking of it. For if anyone discovers they are capable of being broken, their rule would be threatened. The seed of doubt is there, and they refuse to let it spread... like wildfire!

Zathura's Present State

Zathura's body remains in his molten castle, frozen in time like a lifeless statue, eyes glazed, aura seemingly gone. To all observers, he is a broken soul. But in truth, only a piece of him is missing. Should that piece ever return to Hell, venture to his castle, open its long-locked gates, and walk toward him (like Sleeping Beauty drawn to the prick of her finger) that long-lost soul piece would reunite with the rest of Zathura, bringing him breathing back to life.

But that has not happened. But it could... and it may one day...

For now, a piece of Zathura's soul lives on with Cereus' in a life realm (the world of Tera) living among mortals as two humans: Astasia and Zerek.

One day it will all be over, but for now... he lays dormant. For now... he lives!