Concept Art 37: Kalila (Patreon)

This blade is the counterpart of Beatrix, so her backstory explores the themes of misogyny and abuse and how far they can go. Kalila had it rough as a little girl since her father was abusive, and his brother followed his example while the mother only watched, scared of provoking his husband further. Kalila faced constant mistreatment, told that she was nothing but a waste of space and that her only purpose was to serve his father and brother. The abuse wasn't only psychological but physical, and only god knows how far his horrible father would go with it.

After all that trauma, Kalila was sold like an animal to a stranger man as a way to cover the debts his crooked father accumulated due to gambling.

Kalila was afraid of this man, but to her surprise, he was kind and warm to her, unlike his father. At least, that's what she thought before the abuse started happening again, and the stranger then forced her to work in a brothel he managed while she was still underage. While some women working there understood her situation and tried to comfort her, most had enough with their problems to care too much for the new  girl possibly coming for their clients. Kalila felt helpless, with nowhere to run off to, and even if she tried, the brothel's owner would make sure she regretted it.

But one fateful night, Kalila met her breaking point, and everything took a turn. During a session, a client was taking it too far, which triggered Kalila, making her relive the traumatic experiences she had with his father. The girl feared for her life and acted in impulsive self-defense, realizing that in the heat of the moment, Kalila had killed the man, and not any man, but a high-profile wealthy lord at that. Desperate, the girl ran away as quickly as she could, she knew not even the owner of the brothel  would be able to cover this up, and when they found out, she would either be executed by them or sent to prison.

Eventually, Lord Adonaios starts investigating the murder and finds Kalila trying to escape. Adonaios sees something in her eyes, the desire to survive no matter what, and offers her a way out if she accepts his proposal. Kalila, unable to trust the lord and feeling trapped, tries to attack him using a piece of glass only to realize she's incapable of hurting him no matter how hard she tries. Adonaios recognizes the fear in her expression, making him try his best to prove to Kalila that he means no harm. The girl has no options, so she decides to comply and, slowly but surely, starts to trust the man. However, deep inside, she can't help but think the abuse might begin yet again.

Even so, Kalila comes to trust Adonaios in a way she never trusted any man before, developing feelings for the lord. She fully believes in Adonaios and embraces his vision for the world, committed to doing whatever it takes to make it a reality.

Kalila’s Archon is a second version of Sabaoth (Kaius’ Archon) made after the former went out of control and failed to merge with its host.