Croix Bartel

Croix is 5 ft 6 and 18 years old. He has dark blue hair and dark blue eyes.

About: Croix is a promising young knight who eventually finds himself involved in a battle far beyond his wildest imagination. He adopted a young girl called Cocona that was orphaned because of an IPD outbreak, and ended becoming a big brother for her. Cynthia at the Pastalia weapons shop is extremely fond of him, often giving him recipes that she says are "made with love" and embarrassing him deeply. Cocona is 11 and 4 ft 11 - she is a Reyvateil that could use song magic but cannot due to being a child. She has dark blue hair and dark blue eyes like Croix but isn’t related by blood. She fights with a double-bladed baton alongside him. Cocona calls Croix “Cro” as a nickname. Croix fights with a lance-sword.

He usually wears glasses when not fighting due to poor eyesight, but takes them off when he goes into battle, saying in one conversation with Luca that his sight is not so bad that it affects his combat skill and pointing out the risks of his glasses potentially shattering in battle. He becomes caught up in a rapidly-escalating civil war during one of his missions, soon finding himself directly protecting the Holy Maiden of Pastalia and in for an adventure that will decide the fate of the entire world.

Croix’s Past: Croix was orphaned when he was only 4 years old, due to his mother killing herself and her husband during an IPD outbreak she had. Given that Leyka had an outbreak about the same time as Croix's mother, Reisha felt guilty of this, and adopted him. In this way, he grew up and was raised alongside Luca.

Croix became friends with a boy called Targana, who was one of his classmates in a swordmanship class, and both were regarded as the best ones in the class, though Targana never managed to best Croix. Both had one hideout in the Dreamy Fields, in which both passed their days playing and talking. At one point, Targana revealed to Croix that he was actually Prince Targana, the grandchild of the previous Pope of Metafalss, and there, both made the promise of trying to turn Metafalss into a better place, and try to realize the dream of the green land, Metafalica.

Croix and Reisha's other daughter, Luca, ended having a brotherly relationship, which ended becoming a lover's relationship sometime after Luca began her job as a Dive Therapist. However, their time was cut short because Croix ended passing the tests to become a Grand Bell Knight, and went off to live in the city of Pastalia.

Life as a Knight:

Croix quickly made a reputation for himself because of his skills in combat, and because of his calm and cold attitude. Apparently, he was the only knight that never required a Reyvateil partner. He was required to daily train with the other knights, and once, during a training with Captain Leglius, he received a bad blow, and Leglius gave the rest of the day off to him. During his way back home, he encounted the Maiden, Cloche Leythal Pastalia, having one of her secret escapades to the garden of the Grand Bell Palace. Cloche, seeing he was injured, sang a song to heal his wounds, and bandaged one he had on the hand with a handkerchief, asking Croix to keep it afterwards.

Aside from training, Croix also was sent in IPD containment missions, which he particularly hated, because of his past with them. Once, Cloche ordered him to finish the containment at once, and afterwards, focusing in protecting the town, given that the rampaging IPDs had caused a fire in it. Later on, during a particularly bad IPD outbreak, he found an orphaned girl, and worried about her, he asked "Are you hungry?". After this, Croix adopted the girl and began treating her as his own sister. This girl ended up being Cocona. allowing a customer to Dive into her Cosmosphere, where she will proceed to create a world based on the customer's wishes and preferences to then take actions to improve his or her mood and attempt to heal whatever it is causing them unhappiness.

Phase 1: Pastalia

Croix, now 18, was first seen doing his job of containing berserk IPDs in the Pastalia Slums. After successfully containing the IPD, and while the other two knights took her away, Croix was approached by a Reyvateil, who took care of his wounds. Croix simply asks if she wasn't afraid of being infected with IPD, to which the Reyvateil answers she can't get infected anymore, and that she hopes he finds his own princess soon. The other two knights soon join them, and while the Reyvateils get all embarrassed when they ask if they are in relationship, Croix simply remains cold and distant, ignoring their attempts of making fun of him. An instant later, he remembers that Cocona was waiting for him, and leaving the report duty to the others, he goes to meet with Cocona in Pastalia City.

In there, Cocona scolds him for being so late, and after Croix apologizes because of the IPD outbreak being so bad, she tells him he did a good work, and begins feeling sorry for not having been able to help him in this mission. Then, she empathizes with him about how bad of an aftertaste containing an outbreak leaves, and Croix tells her that while he joined because he admired the ideals of Metafalica, he was sorely disappointed when he became aware that his duty was only containing IPDs, a job he despised more than anything. However, he also says that at the least they are doing something for the people. An instant later, Cocona interrupts him and joyfully tells him that they have to hurry, or the shops will close up.

Once they were home, Croix received a call on his Telemo from Captain Leglius, informing him that a emergency situation had arisen: an IPD outbreak had occured in the Rakshek Resort, which was the place where the current Holy Maiden, Lady Cloche, was spending her vacations. Because of the gravity of the situation, Leglius gave Croix permission to bring Cocona along, and after reminding her that they weren't going to play, and lamenting that Luca's coming would have to wait for other moment, both of them prepared and took the first airship they could that was heading for the Rim.

Once in the Rakshek Resort, Croix simply ignored again the way in which one of his fellow knights was boasting of the power he and his Reyvateil because of being so much in love. He also scolded Cocona when she asked if it would be better if she were a Reyvateil, since they would be far more powerful than that couple because of how close they were.

While they were in the middle of this discussion, the sound of an explosion was heard from the direction of the Resort, making Croix and Cocona rush in its direction as fast as they could. Once inside, they saw how bad the situation was inside. Then, they were attacked by knights from the Sacred Army, making Croix doubt that this was an IPD outbreak, and think it actually was an attack from the Sacred Army.

In the deepest area of the Resort, Croix and Cocona met with Cloche and Leglius, the latter beginning to wear out from the continuous battles. In here, Leglius confirmed that this wasn't an IPD outbreak, but it actually was a coup d'etat orchestrated by the Sacred Army, with the purpose of annihilating Cloche. They had to cut the conversation short because a group of Sacred Army Reyvateils began attacking them, and Leglius gave this order to Croix: "Protect Lady Cloche, no matter what until we meet again. The meeting place will be the coal shack in Mikry Forest, during the next full moon".