Skia

Overview

Skia is a playable character in Neverness to Everness. His element is Lakshana, one of the six attributes in the Esper Cycle, and his weapon type is Shadow Manipulation. He holds the title of "Shadow Hound Operative" and serves as a member of ETD-4, a specialized containment team within the Bureau of Anomaly Control. His birthday is January 19. His official quote is: "The paperwork you need is on the desk."

Skia is a wolf-man Esper who tears through enemies with sharp claws and teeth. He can transform into an ink-black shadow form to slip through foes while dealing constant damage. His combat revolves around the Fang Thrust mechanic, shadow projectiles that spawn from his attacks and pursue enemies. His ultimate involves igniting his shadow pool with his signature Zippo lighter for a devastating area attack.

Appearance

Skia has a distinctly lupine appearance with wolf-like features including pointed ears, sharp teeth, and clawed hands. His design emphasizes the predatory nature of his combat style. He dresses in dark, utilitarian clothing suitable for an operative who works in shadows. His most notable visual element during gameplay is his transformation into an ink-black shadow pool, where his physical form dissolves into a flat, liquid-like shadow that slides across surfaces and even up walls.

Personality

Skia is described as professional and composed, a member of ETD-4 who specializes in suppression and control. He prefers clean, non-physical intervention when possible, favoring strategic containment over brute force. His quote ("The paperwork you need is on the desk") reflects his methodical, by-the-book approach that contrasts sharply with the chaotic tendencies of his teammates.

His title as "Shadow Hound Operative" reflects his tracking and suppression specialization within ETD-4. He excels at finding targets and controlling engagement areas through shadow manipulation. Within the team, he often handles reconnaissance and perimeter security, using his Shadow Hound mode to move undetected through environments before the rest of the team engages. He communicates more through brief statements and efficient action than through extended conversation.

Abilities and Combat Kit

Skia's combat style combines feral melee attacks with shadow manipulation abilities. His core mechanic is the Fang Thrust system. Shadow projectiles that spawn from his attacks and independently pursue enemies, dealing Lakshana damage over time. The more Fang Thrusts he accumulates, the more devastating his follow-up attacks become.

Basic Attack: Arresting Art

Skia performs up to 5 consecutive martial arts strikes using claws and biting attacks. Each hit spawns a Fang Thrust shadow projectile on the target, with a maximum of 3 Fang Thrusts per target. The attack chain is fast and aggressive, with lunging strikes and snapping jaws that emphasize his wolf-man nature. Arresting Art also includes plunge attack and counter-attack variants for aerial and defensive play.

Elemental Skill: Shadow Hound Chase

Skia enters the Tailed status, leaps into his own shadow, and deals 6 instances of Lakshana DMG to surrounding enemies while spawning additional Fang Thrusts. He then enters Shadow Hound Gnaw mode, which allows him to move underground and along walls with stealth and partial invulnerability. This mode functions as both a mobility tool and a repositioning ability for setting up ambush attacks. The skill has a 15-second cooldown.

Shadow Hound Mode

In addition to the elemental skill, Skia can activate Shadow Hound mode by holding Movement and Dodge simultaneously. In this mode, Skia hides within the shadows, allowing movement through the ground and along walls while remaining undetected. This passive traversal ability can be used outside of combat for exploration and reconnaissance, as well as during fights for repositioning. Upon emerging from Shadow Hound mode, Skia can perform ambush strikes that deal burst Lakshana damage.

Ultimate: The Pack

Skia throws a spinning Zippo lighter, causing his shadow to spread in all directions across the ground. The spreading shadow deals 1 instance of Lakshana DMG to the surrounding area. Subsequently, multiple shadows, described as being "like well-trained dogs" charge into a single spot, dealing 3 additional instances of Lakshana DMG to the area. For each target hit, 3 Fang Thrust attacks split from the shadow to pursue them. The ultimate has a 15-second cooldown.

QTE: Arrest Warrant

Skia's character swap QTE commands his shadow to bite the target enemy, dealing area Lakshana damage and applying control effects to nearby enemies.

Passive Abilities

• Suppression Targets receive heavy damage when breaking free from Remora (control) effects, punishing enemies who resist Skia's crowd control.

• Apprehension For 15 seconds after using his ultimate (The Pack), Fang Thrust damage is increased by 10%, rewarding aggressive follow-up after the ultimate.

• Shadow Hound Hold Movement + Dodge to enter the Shadow Hound stealth mode with terrain traversal capabilities.

Awakening Abilities

Skia has six awakening levels that progressively enhance his shadow combat capabilities:

Esper Cycle Role

As a Lakshana element character, Skia creates reactions with adjacent elements on the Esper Cycle wheel. His Fang Thrust projectiles and shadow spread from The Pack apply Lakshana status across wide areas, making him effective at setting up duo reactions for teammates with complementary elements. His sustained Fang Thrust application is similar to Hathor's Lakshana application but achieved through different means.

Life Skills

• Middle Manager Boosts shop customer patience and dish pricing in the life simulation system.

• Excellent Credit Reduces arrest speed and penalties, reflecting his law enforcement background.

Lore and Background

Skia serves in ETD-4 under captain Baicang, alongside Fadia and Lacrimosa. He specializes in suppression and control, preferring non-physical intervention methods when possible. He was part of the ETD-4 response to the Hypervortex disaster in New Helios.

Skia's wolf-man nature and his shadow manipulation abilities suggest a connection to Anomaly energy that goes beyond standard Esper abilities. Whether he was born with his lupine traits or transformed by Anomaly exposure is not publicly known. He does not discuss his origins, and ETD-4 teammates respect this privacy. His dedication to the team and his competence in the field have earned him a place in ETD-4 without questions.

Within the ETD-4 team dynamic, Skia has a specific cooperation synergy with Baicang: when switching to Baicang while Skia is in stealth, Baicang can directly trigger an attack and generate Power Words on enemies. This mechanically reinforces the lore of their practiced teamwork, where the squad's bodies "start to remember each other's habits and movements."

ETD-4 Team

• Baicang Captain. Incantation element. Skia follows his lead and has a direct combat synergy with him.

• Fadia Apostle of Love and Death. Psyche element. Known for unconventional mission tactics.

• Lacrimosa Sleepy Vampire. Chaos element. Enigmatic operative with unusual behavior.

Affiliations

• ETD-4 Skia's containment team within the Bureau.

• Bureau of Anomaly Control The parent organization overseeing all ETD units.

Character Statistics

Trivia

• Skia's ultimate "The Pack" is named after wolf pack behavior. The shadows that charge into a single spot after the lighter ignition are described as behaving "like well-trained dogs."

• His Shadow Hound mode allows traversal through both ground and walls, making him one of the most mobile characters in the game for exploration.

• The name "Skia" is derived from the Greek word for "shadow" (σκιά), directly referencing his shadow manipulation abilities.

• His awakening ability names follow a legal/judicial theme (Process of Elimination, Law and Order, Social Contract), reflecting his role as an enforcer and operative.

• His quote about paperwork contrasts with his feral wolf-man appearance, creating a humorous juxtaposition between his bureaucratic diligence and his savage combat style.

• He has two life skills that both relate to management and law enforcement, further reinforcing his methodical personality.

Related Pages

• Esper Cycle How Lakshana interacts with other elements.

• Hypervortex The disaster ETD-4 responded to.

• Baicang Captain of ETD-4, Incantation element.

• Fadia ETD-4 member, Psyche element.

• Lacrimosa ETD-4 member, Chaos element.

• Hathor Fellow Lakshana element character.

• Combat System Core combat mechanics including team swap and QTE.