Sikes Black

Sikes Black is a brilliant scientist and the co-leader of the Purification. He is one of the primary antagonists of Æther.

Pre-Burning
Only select details are known about Sikes's life before the Burning. As is the case with his brother Henri, nothing is known of his childhood, although it can be determined that he was born in the city of Queen's River in the year 5085. Sikes was also born with the Quintessence ability, apparently by chance.

As a young adult, Sikes met Evelina, and by the age of 20 they had a daughter. At this point, Sikes was aware of the Purification and his brother's leadership of it, and generally supported his actions, but was not heavily involved with the operation. This changed in the year 5109, when a soldier aligned with the precursors of the Five Points shot and killed his daughter during a raid on Purification facilities.

The young couple was deeply affected by their daughter's death. Sikes was particularly distraught, and as a result he became co-leader of the Purification, working to dismantle the current corrupt society and build a newer, better one in its place. He immediately put his extensive scientific knowledge up to the task: one of his first accomplishments in this position was the creation of N, a cybernetic assassin with the cerebral cortex of a dolphin.

Aside from his duties to the Purification, one of Sikes's primary objectives was to bring his daughter back to life. This would be a daunting project even with his expertise, and Sikes sought to acquire materials for the operation from around the globe. His plan centered around the archipelago of Indonesia, where the native peoples used natural herbs with remarkable restorative properties. Sikes also identified his daughter's killer - a man named Steven Reinhart, who was engaged to Lavinia in the city of Red Rose. Sikes immediately made plans to enact revenge. (Æther)

While gathering materials in Kongola, Sikes came to the attention of Theodore Arthur Wolfstone, an adventrous explorer with a reckless personality. Theodore launched an expedition to investigate the strange happenings on the continent, and Sikes confronted the expedition several times. (Æther: A Heart of Darkness)

Burning and Post-Burning
At the start of the Burning, Sikes flew by airship with N to Red Rose, where Lavinia and Steven resided. When he landed, he encountered Theodore once more, and Sikes shot his lover Ada and left him to grieve before walking away. (Æther: A Heart of Darkness) N captured Lavinia and Steven under Sikes's supervision and they flew the Syrakousai Facility on the dried-up Mediterranean Sea. There, Sikes tortured and killed Steven before operating on Lavinia to turn her into the first and only Angel Unit. (Æther)