Mao

Born in the late Heian era, Mao states that he is at least 900 years old by the mid-1920s. Orphaned at a young age, Mao foraged for food and lived in a system of caves, navigating the darkenss by scent, sound and the faint winds that blew through it. As luck would have it, the cave navigation was a trial to join a school that taught onmyoji, a Chinese mystical art that blended early science with the supernatural. Mao bested the other pupils who had hoped to gain entrance into the school, saving the life of a young Shiranui in the process. Soon Mao found himself being taught a vocation and slowly improving his lot in life in the late 1100s.

Mao's skills however were average compared with many of his fellow students. Consequently it was a shock when he was named as the intended successor to the school by their master. Mao was infatuated with the master's daughter, Sana, and her hand in marriage was promised to him along with knowledge of the most esoteric and important teachings, particularly the life-lengthening skill so many sought to master. All of this was a ruse however as Mao was intended to be used as a ritual sacrefice, his modest skills made him an unimportant figure easily killed for the greater good.

However Byoki, a cat demon created by the school soon escaped and rampaged throughout the temple, murdering dozens until Mao faced off against it. With his blade in hand Mao managed to decapitate the cat creature, though he accidentally merged with Byoki's body, gaining more power in the process. The disembodied head of Byoki fled and Mao has no memory of what happened next. However the survivors of the school insist he murdered Sana, the woman he loved. Mao has lived for 900 years with this burden, quietly living a simple life as a doctor treating yokai and humans alike. It is not until 1922 during the Great Kanto Earthquake that he next encounters Byoki in a battle that rips time and brings him into contact with Nanoka, a girl from the modern day who was pulled into the 1920s.

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The Meaning Behind the Name - 魔緒

Mao is written with two kanji, the first (魔) means "witch" or "evil spirit" while the second (緒) means "beginning" or "inception".