Treader

Treader was originally a nomad, wandering the shifting expanse with his clan. But one day they were attacked by an unknown force of darkness.

Treader was the only one who escaped alive and had been traumatized by the loss of everyone he'd ever known. He retreated far into the desert in his sadness and anger.

He trained for years in the dark arts, forbidden shadow magic, to find and take on whatever had attacked them that day. But this came with costs.

Treader became a beast taken over by the dark and his vengeance, and when he couldn't find the one responsible for all those deaths years ago, the magic took its toll as it fell into disuse. He was torn apart by it, corrupted by it, and then began turning to stone.

It was weeks later, only his wings untouched by the stone, as it kept spreading, that Tenebrous found him in the desert sand. Using strange magic, Ten was able to halt the shifting process of the dark magic and helped Treader to his circus tent.

There, Ten enchanted the pearlcatcher's body to allow him to move, and welcomed him into his circus to act as the strong man, a job that Treader enjoys to no end, having been able to find a place he could be free of judgement.