Rhys Merodach (ルヒース・マーオッダチュ,Ruhiisu Maaoddachu?) is one of the main protagonists of Fairy Tail: Horizon. Found by the dragonHerensurge shortly after the collapse of government in Minstrel, he was taken in and given his name by the creature. Considered the Last of the Storm Dragons' son, he was taught Storm Dragon Slayer Magic by his foster father and even hatched the ExceedGopher, who had been found as an egg beside him. Eventually, however, the dragon vanished, leaving Rhys on his own. Setting out across the land in search for him, Rhys eventually came across two other children: Casimir Arivata and Glave Singleton, whose dragons had also vanished. The three eventually swore brotherhood and began hunting their dragons together, before being found by Roukan and accepting his offer to join the rising guildDirewolf.
He would grow up within this guild, eventually forming a team with his brothers known as Myriad Fang. Their group has expanded as the series has gone on, now including the likes of Erie Reinhardt, a traveller and user of the mysterious Raven Magic, and Melena, a former enemy-turned-group strategist. That is to say nothing of Jenks, a mysterious animal and other pet of the three brothers. Throughout, Rhys continues to struggle with the use of his magic, seeking to honor the gift his foster father has given him and gain full control over the powers of a Storm Dragon. Like the other protagonists, he also deals with invasive guilds and other factions, while attempting to discover the reason behind the collapse of the country's government, as well as to eventually restore it to a land of laws. As these two goals intersect, Rhys has grown stronger alongside his brothers, eventually achieving the realm of Dragon Force and even a unique powerup to his own magic thanks to the training of Murtaugh Fangaloka.
Due to his prowess, he is given a currently unknown epithet.
"When I was a kid I didn't have any strength, so I got it from a bunch of people. First Herensurge, then bro and big bro... now though, I want to get some of that strength from myself."
— Rhys' developing independence
In keeping with the three brothers' strange dynamic, Rhys functions in a manner similar to a middle child (whereas Casimir acts as the youngest and Glave as the oldest) despite being the physically youngest. As such, he takes on some of the most important qualities of both, each one being changed and reshaped based on his own personality and individual quirks.
Rhys is an exceptionally kind soul with an almost childlike nature, often inviting people to their guild's territory (or even to stay with him and his brothers) based on initial impressions alone. He is quick to assume the best about a situation or a person, at times allowing him to be easily manipulated by those skilled at acting more benign than they really are. His more childlike nature allows him to easily be fooled by many of Casimir's antics and the two team up to mess with Glave on several occasions. However, he has also been influenced by Glave's more serious and down-to-earth demeanor, often questioning Cas' ideas and serving as a more rational voice when it is just the two of them (or with one more eccentric than himself). This can only last for so long, as either his brother or an adequately persuasive person can quickly have him drop any seriousness, though some reservations will remain. Rhys easily connects with people (at times one-sidedly) or items and when going out on longer quests will often bring back souvenirs, from random artifacts to actual people who he's taken a liking to. Such individuals are often promptly invited to travel with the group and it can require both of his brothers to convince him otherwise. A part of this naivety bleeds out slowly during the course of the series, and while much of it remains Rhys becomes a more cautious person than he was at the beginning.
As a child and young boy, Rhys was initially a cowardly soul. While this was only to be expected, having been lost amidst a sea of flames and only being rescued by a Storm Dragon, this persisted even after several years of training from Herensurge. Quick to cry and eager to seek help when faced with difficulty, Rhys was given the name he was from his Dragon in order to inspire more confidence in himself, to feel the strength contained in there and make it his own. While this yielded no initial results, it slowly began to emerge. He maintained his more timid persona during his first meeting with his future brothers, though as time went on he began to shed it more and more, attempting to live up to his missing Dragon's expectations and forcing himself to act in a brave and courageous fashion regardless of how he actually felt. While this was initially very obvious, with Rhys still visibly crying and trembling even while doing it, he quickly became more accustomed to this sort of action. It took awhile for the effects to even take root, but at some point after living with them for some time and/or becoming a member of Direwolf he seems to have incorporated it fully into his persona, genuine courage emerging to bolster his decisions to act, to the point where his former crybaby nature can no longer be noticed. That does not appear to mean it has vanished completely, as Rhys still shows signs of hesitation or immense fear at several points during the series, and his brothers appear experts at picking it out even if they don't appear to notice it. He hates whatever part of him still retains this trait, feeling shame or worse when it dramatically surfaces and doing all he can to keep it suppressed.
Indeed, while he greatly cares for and respects his adopted siblings, Rhys has a small (but growing) independent streak. He constantly strives to become as strong and dependable as his brothers, incensed by the idea that he may be holding them back in any way. To this end, he will occasionally do things 'behind their back', mostly training on his own without telling them in order to gain perfect control over his wild magic. At the time of Horizon's start he has also begun to act out a bit more on his own, making decisions and making quick trips without informing from the other two Dragon Slayers. Rather than any true defiance or disrespect, it stems from a desire to stand fully on his own two feet beside them. Rhys still maintains a close relationship with his siblings, frequently asking them for advice or aid and offering his own freely, as well as picking up on subtler emotions and traits of theirs both subconsciously and consciously. His moments of defiance are in the minority, while his sense of independence is rapidly growing.
He appears to have the most visible emotional connection with his dragon, still feeling greatly attached to Herensurge. His refusal to use any other magic aside from the Storm Dragon Slayer variety is based on pure respect for his foster father; Rhys considers his magic to be among the greatest gifts Herensurge ever bestowed upon him, and learning anything else is anathema. He also showcases little interest in other kinds of magic, not caring about details (unless it takes the form of a transformation) and quickly losing interest.
Rhys has a great deal of determination, especially in regards to certain subjects, coupled with a fuse that is short to burst and quick to repair. It is most notable in regards to his magic; refusal to learn any others aside, he expresses at times visible frustration about his inability to use it to its fullest potential, punching the ground or any convenient inanimate object mid-training. However, his desire to honor both Herensurge and his brothers' efforts compels him to stand up and try again and again, no matter how long his failures can beat him down. He is quick to flare to anger, especially during a fight, but also calms down rather quickly both during and after it. As such, Rhys is incredibly likely to extend offers of mercy or a chance to end the battle (especially if the odds are in his favor or he simply loses any desire to fight his opponent), often leaving his guard full of holes that can be exploited. He takes breaches of trust exceptionally hard and, while he will often act as if he has forgiven them afterwards, genuine forgiveness can be harder to come by in this situation. Simply being his enemy is an offense he can let go of within seconds; pretending to be his ally and then hurting him or those he cares about is something he needs time to recover from. He has an unconditional trust in both his brothers and in fellow team- and guild-mates, and the idea that any of it could have been a lie shakes him to his core.
He has quite the appetite, preferring food cooked by Glave to any in the world, and will often lay atop the team's house in order to devour any bad weather that comes their way. At times, the souvenirs he brings back from missions will include certain beasts or vegetables he has found particularly delectable (especially if Glave hasn't had a chance to prepare them yet). Rhys greatly enjoys swimming and can spend hours allowing the nearby stream to push him along, often accidentally being carried far away and forced to make quite a trek in order to return. He prefers earthy, damp places, preferably as part of or incorporated into mountainous terrain and can feel truly at peace there.
He expresses a minute amount of interest in the fairer sex, cheeks occasionally gaining a pinkish tinge when in awe of another's attractiveness. Thoughts about things like peeking rarely occur to him, though he'll willingly take part if a respected figure (such as one of the S-Classes, Roukan, or his brothers) initiates or suggests it.
In keeping with his more childlike aspects, Rhys becomes easily fascinated with the world around him. He is capable for staring in awe for hours at such things as waterfalls or fantastical geographical arrangements, and the larger cities fostered by some of the stronger guilds are sources of endless excitement for him. He threatens to break off from a group in this state, randomly following a sight, smell, or other sensation that interests him and wandering away from his allies in his fascination.
Storm Dragon Slayer Magic (嵐の滅竜魔法,Arashi no Metsuryū Mahō?) is the magic taught to Rhys by his dragon, Herensurge. Due to his lingering attachment to his foster parent, Rhys has uniquely refused to add any other repertoire to his combat capabilities, and continues to only use his Dragon Slayer Magic and techniques related to it.
With its use, Rhys can grant himself powers that are considered typical for a Storm Dragon: lungs that can breathe out and inhale incredibly destructive and powerful storms, scales that can survive the worst weather the world has to offer, and claws that can rend and mold storms to their likeness. This appears to be on some level hyperbole, as actual scales and claws do not appear when Rhys activates this magic. Rather, he gains the power to generate massive amounts of wind and lightning, the two fused together indelibly and effectively acting as a single element. These are often used to cloak Rhys' hands, feet, and other parts of his body in order to increase the damage that they can deal. Aside from this, he can also release a breath attack made entirely of storm, releasing it in a conical shape that rushes out before him. It is often stated to have the offensive powers of both Sky and Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic, though it possesses none of the healing properties that can be found in the former. Rhys can also devour his element, a rather difficult task with no Storm Magic user around or particularly bad weather about. By devouring a storm, his stamina is restored and his wounds can be healed to a limited extent. Though he can technically eat wind and lightning separately, the effects are drastically lower to the point that it can be considered useless.
Unique among its kind, Storm Dragon Slayer Magic appears quite tied to the user's emotions. When in its normal state, the storm created is often described as having a mind of its, moving towards opponents or vulnerable structures of its own volition and attempting to do damage. However, while this is rather minor, the greatest problem comes when Rhys himself lets his emotions run away with him. Storms were never something meant to be contained, and this persists despite being used in the form of magic. As such, it takes every opportunity it can to break free of the shackles placed upon it. The angrier and more emotional Rhys becomes, the more he loses control over his storms, and if pushed far enough he can lose complete control of his magic. When this occurs, the storm emerges from his body freely, moving about completely on its on volition and attacking anything in sight without discrimination. In the worst cases the magic appears to influence its own user, with Rhys entering a berserk state and allowing it to do as it 'wishes' without any drawbacks. In this situation, only bringing him back to his senses can stem the tide and allow him to regain control, especially if he's calmed down to boot. This lack of control is a major problem for Rhys in combat, and remains a pet peeve for him even in ordinary combat. It is only after several events, including his training with Dosne Fangaloka, that he gains a handle on how to keep his magic in check.
This magic also comes with more standard weaknesses. Rhys cannot devour the storm he himself produces in order to heal his words, and nor can he devour it (or wind and lightning) from a mage who is far stronger than him, or whose magic is considered superior, without their willing consent. Other methods for eating their magic include training to become strong enough to do so, or in a more radical case, emptying his magical container completely to make room for it.
Basic Spells[]
Storm Dragon's Roar (嵐竜の咆哮,Ranryū no Hōkō?)-
Storm Dragon's Turbulent Fist (嵐竜の乱拳,Ranryū no Miken?)-
Storm Dragon's Tempest Wings (嵐竜の疾風翼,Ranryū no Hayate Tsubasa?)- A secondary attack that can be used for both transportation and attack, though the latter is its much more common use. Rhys activates his magic, generating a large amount of storm in his body. This is released from his arms and hands all at once, rapidly entangling around his limbs and fanning out ever-so-slightly. This motion allows the storm to take on the appearance of the wings its title claims them to be. From this position, the young Dragon Slayer has several options available to him. Firstly, he can strike with them; charging through the air and leaping towards his opponent, he brings them down with great force in a cutting motion. This same procedure can be repeated (albeit slightly altered) in mid-air, though Rhys is typically mid-flight at that point. When in this position, he simply twists towards his opponent and lashes out at them, striking them with both wings in a similar cutting motion. The final form of attack can occur from either position and consists of Rhys bringing the two wings together onto the opponent with great force. In the first two forms of the attack, the damage done is akin to a sword slash, storm tearing across the opponent in simple straight lines that occasionally intersect. The second is more encompassing; the target is shrouded completely in storm, being struck by it with full force and having a great deal of damage being done whilst their bodies are shocked and torn from all angles. This spell can also be used in a much more benign way: with it active, Rhys gains limited flight. Though it is utterly dependent on gravity and wind currents (with him occasionally adding it with blasts of storm to keep altitude), he can move quickly through the air and cross expanses that he could otherwise not on foot, provided that they are not immensely vast. However, it is important to remember that this use is generally only restored to so Rhys can prepare for an attack; rarely is it utilized for transportation and only transportation.
Storm Dragon's Downburst (嵐竜のダウンバースト,Ranryū no Daunbāsuto?)-
Storm Dragon's Stepped Ladder (嵐竜の段付きはしご,Ranryū no Dan-tsuki Hashigo?)-
Storm Dragon's Return Stroke (嵐竜の戻りストローク,Ranryū no Modori Sutorōku?)-
Storm Dragon's Eye (嵐竜の目,Ranryū no Me?)-
Storm Dragon's Tornado Horn (嵐竜の竜巻角,Ranryū no Tatsumaki-kaku?)-
Storm Dragon's Surge (嵐竜の大波,Ranryū no Ōnami?)-
Advanced Spells[]
Dragon Slayer's Secret Arts (滅竜奥義, Metsu Ryū Ōgi)-
Dragon Slayer's Ultimate Art (滅竜極義, Metsuryū Gokugi)- A
The Ultimate Art when striking the opponent/fired
Hellish Entrapment Ring: Grand Storm Dragon Emperor(業略環・大嵐竜帝, Gōryakukan: Ōranryūtei)-
Dragon Force (龍力 (ドラゴンフォース), Ryū-ryoku (Doragon Fōsu))-
Drago Overstorm[]
Drago Overstorm (疾風怒濤 (ドラゴ・オーバーストーム), Dorago Ōbasutōmu, lit. "Storm and Stress")- is a sub-spell of Storm Dragon Slayer Magic, and it appears to be exclusive to Rhys, though it took him quite awhile to access this form. It essentially consists of Rhys incorporating nearby water vapor, or other sources of water into his storm, allowing it to reach it's full destructive potential. You see, while Storm Dragon Slayer Magic is powerful enough on its own, it is not technically a real storm, being a fusion of wind and lightning, and not truly becoming a full-fledged storm. By absorbing water into the storm, this allows it to become an actual storm, and therefore, unlock his element's full power and potential. When he does absorb water to access this sub-spell, Rhys' storm becomes much more ferocious and powerful than it was already, now generating powerful gusts of wind around itself that are visible, and occasionally also using those to release incredible shockwaves through the air, which can also function as a form of intimidation, alerting lesser threats to the power of this technique. In addition, when this mode is activated, the storm Rhys generates also seems to become more jagged in shape, striking and cracking almost like lightning. This does not seem to be a consistent trait, however, as the storm can also appear to have more characteristics of water than lightning in some instances, 'spilling' and 'dripping', or even 'pooling'. Most commonly, though, the storm simply becomes much more fierce and raging. In addition, unlike other aspects of his magic, Rhys seems to have no problem controlling this upgraded magic, with others likening to the magic as having "matured", learning to obey its user, as it were.
Storm Dragon's True Roar (嵐竜の真咆哮, Ranryū no Shin Hōkō)- A stronger version of his standard Roar attack, Rhys takes a deep breath, then converts the air in his lungs into the fully-powered storm. When he is ready to attack, he brings his head forward, releasing a massive, almost tornado-shaped explosion of storm out of his mouth, which rips through the air at the opponent. Once it strikes them, it delivers an incredible amount of damage, capable of shredding clothes to ribbons and knocking the opponent across whole areas or through several acres of land. Like most spells that are enhanced by Drago Overstorm, the True Roar is much more powerful than the regular Roar, and actually loses some of its tornado-esque shape, and now appears more similar to a circular tidal wave, lashing out at the opponent, and supposedly hits them with the force of one of those said waves as well. Weaker opponents have been known to be knocked out with a single impact from the technique, and it also posses the force to break through several walls and even destroy whole buildings if they are made of certain substances, have weak foundations, or other small flaws that are common in building design.
Storm Dragon's True Claws (嵐竜の真爪, Ranryū no Shin Tsume)- A technique inspired by one of Clear's spells, as well as one of the more dragon-esque spells that Rhys can utilize, it consists of Rhys generating a large amount of fully-powered storm around his fingers, with the storm coalescing around them into the shape of actual, draconic claws. Before the spell can even come into full affect, these claws are capable of slashing and cutting at the opponent, doing some damage, albeit very little. When the spell is finally ready to be preformed, Rhys lashes out with his hand(s), whipping through the air and releasing the storm in a trailing line. This line flies forward, and will cut into or through anything it comes into contact with, doing a great amount of damage that can be compared to an actual dragon slashing at something with their claws, tearing through any opposition and leaving room for Rhys to attack. Despite it's somewhat offensive properties, it can be used to cut through things in the way, such as boulders, walls, etc. It's main defensive property is against giant opponents, with the technique able to cut through them, most commonly their hands, limbs, or head, doing a great amount of damage. It is to be noted, however, that against live opponents this technique is unlikely to actually cut through all of them, but simply deal a great amount of damage.
Storm Dragon's True Fist (嵐竜の真拳, Ranryū no Shin Ken)- An enhanced version of his Turbulent Fist spell, this consists of Rhys surrounding one of his fists with the now fully-powered storm, then charges at the opponent, delivering a punch to them. The punch, enhanced by the already strong storm, is incredibly strong itself, and is capable of breaking bones or leaving bruises on the opponent. For those capable of blocking the attack, the punch also has incredible pushing force, and opponents who do manage to block it can be knocked back or even sent flying across a large area of space (though very skilled opponents to recover and stop their 'flight' should they desire to). For weaker opponents, this technique can straight up knock out a person, or take them out in one blow. Similar to the other techniques, the storm in this technique is less calm and much more raging, very much like a stormy ocean, except literally made out of wind and lightning in this case. This punch is also capable of breaking through a variety of strong substances, and is also faster as well, the blow striking faster and with more power than it's original version.
Quotes[]
Trivia[]
Rhys' appearance is based off of the character of Black☆Star from the manga/anime series Soul Eater, though with the character's hair now colored green due to the author's preference of the color.
Offense
4/5
Defense
2/5
Speed
5/5
Intelligence
3/5
Cloud
6/5
His name is apparently pronounced in the Welsh style, and therefore is said as "Hhriys".
Direwolf 
