The Scholar Who Fell Between Worlds Character Name: Dr. Hojo True Name: Unknown in this world. He registered at the Royal Magic Academy as "J. Hojo," Dr. Snapple calls him "old friend." Hojo has heard the phrase spoken sincerely perhaps forty times now, and it pleases him every time, the way a parasite is pleased by a warm host

Position: Visiting scholar of the Royal Magic Academy of Capital Alexandria; associate and "collaborator" of Dr. Snapple, senior researcher in Ebonite studies; secret architect of the Sephiroth Reborn project; thief-in-waiting of one of the empire's ten magic air battleships

Background When the multiverse scattered the FF7 party, Hojo fell into this reality with nothing but his mind intact — and, as always, his mind was enough. Within weeks he had talked his way into the outer circles of the Royal Magic Academy of Capital Alexandria, where he identified the one senior researcher whose ambition outweighed his caution: Dr. Snapple, a decent, stalled, quietly bitter scholar of Ebonite — the rare anti-magic ore that also serves as super fuel for the empire's arcane transportation.

Role in the Story Hojo has learned, a flying battleship of this world, powered by his Ebonite yield and armored in anti-magic ore, is the escape-proof flagship Sephiroth Reborn needs to reach this world's crystal — the anchor-point from which the doorway back to their original planet, and then to all others, can be opened and held.

Tonight Hojo sits in Snapple's study over a shared decanter, listening to his old friend complain about the Academy's drydock budget, tilting his enchanted spectacles toward the wall-map of the sublevels as if out of idle politeness — nodding, smiling, and quietly correcting his notes on the patrol rotations his lenses have already counted twice, his long fingers steady at last.