Julyan Novas

Julyan Novas is a seventeen year old Junior Inquirer enrolled at the Elysian Institute for Advanced Inquiry, where he studies cognitive language principles. He is a resident of the planet Valhallas, and lives in the city of Starhaven with Jillian and James Novas, attending the Institute via a neuralink connection.

His leitmotif is Fate of the Unknown.

Phase One
Julyan James Novas, contrary to his belief, has not lived in Starhaven all his life, but was born in the town of Lunar Skyline, California in 1991. Once he turned eleven, his family relocated to the southern town of Crimson Skyline, but in 2006, his parents moved back to Lunar Skyline and plans were made for him to attend high school there, which would reunite him with his best friend from elementary school, Aiden Menderson, who'd known Julyan better under his self-appointed nickname, Chrons.

However, before the school term could start, Mireya and Icthyo, two members of the Genesin cult (who Julyan had previously encountered during an incident in his fourth grade year), murder Julyan's parents and kidnap him. Using their natural abilities to manipulate time, the two Assemblers take Julyan into the future, deciding on the year 2512 for undisclosed reasons. Using the technology there, they are able to modify Julyan's memory and induce him to naturally believe that he has always lived in the 23rd century, and proceed to enroll him in the Elysian Institute for Advanced Inquiry. Mireya and Icthyo, meanwhile, masquerade as his parents, and begin to keep watch over him in his new life on the planet Valhallas, their reasons unclear.

Julyan begins his new life as a Junior Inquirer in the fall of 2512, selecting cognitive language principles as his field of inquiry. Prior to the start of the term, Julyan meets Talon Sinclair, a fellow prospective Inquirer and the son of Congressman Zachariah Sinclair, and the two quickly become friends, a connection that strengthens in the next year at the Institute together.

In their second year at the institute, both decide to enroll in the Pretachyonic Tartaran History class, instructed by Mentor Alistair Marcellus, since it is a prerequisite for both of their fields. In the neuralinked discussion section for the class, the two boys are introduced to Xander Selman, who is in the same year as them. Xander mentions an expedition to the barren planet Tartarus that he and others of his field are conducting, and though Julyan and Tal are told that their attendance is unlikely, Xander is able to pacify their interests by inviting them to a preliminary survey of the planet, conducted via neuralink connection. Julyan is unable to attend the survey, but Tal readily signs up, mentioning a recently piqued curiosity in the planet.

That evening, Julyan has strange dreams involving glowing disks, lightning, shadowy reptiles, men in red cloaks, and the moon -- these are repressed memories of the Genesin incident from fourth grade. He mentions it to his "parents", and is confused at the concern they have, but eventually forgets about his dream. Tal, meanwhile, approaches Julyan with excitement later in the day. He informs Julyan that he attended the Tartaran survey, and while his mind observed the planet, Talon swears that he felt someone outside the neuralink connection contact him. Julyan is initially skeptical, but soon shares in Tal's enthusiasm, and Tal urges Julyan to help him find a way to join the Tartarus expedition in the spring. Julyan is confused as to why Tal hasn't asked his father to give him clearance, though Tal explains that his father not only refused to pull strings to get him on the expedition, but expressly forbade him from finding a way himself. In light of this, Talon realizes he can exploit his friendship connection with Gabriel Silveros, a Senior Inquirer organizing the expedition, to allow him -- and Julyan -- passage to Tartarus. Tal's younger sister, Morgan, stumbles across their conversation, and expresses interest in joining as well; she is welcomed. Julyan is tasked with convincing Silveros to allow them passage while Tal takes care of logistical arrangements.

A few months pass, during which Julyan informs Tal that he has successfully persuaded Gabriel to allow them to join the expedition, but with one small catch -- they have to rendezvous with Xander, who lives in Seaport Kaitra on the planet Freya. Around this time, Julyan, while reading the news, learns that a suspected Hadean smuggler, Dak Vao, is fleeing the law with a shipment of stolen cargo, and the report goes on to indicate he has apparently taken three male teenagers hostage, their names unknown. Julyan thinks nothing of this until he sees the picture of one of the boys, and feels like he recognizes him for some unclear reason.

Soon, the time to meet up with Xander arrives. Tal and Morgan, having misled their father about their plans for the next week, converge with Julyan, and the three of them take a ferry to Seaport Kaitra. Once there, they make their way to Xander's house, finally meeting their friend for the first time in reality. Soon after, the four of them board the transport headed for the deadened Zero System, in which Tartarus orbits. On the transport, Gabriel is also met, and expresses a bad feeling about allowing the three newcomers to join the expedition.

The ship, at length, outside Tartarus' atmosphere, and a landing shuttle is sent to the surface, with Julyan, Talon, Morgan, Xander, and Gabriel aboard, along with the rest of the team of Inquirers. Once on the surface, the team begins its survey of the ruined, empty planet. Tal quickly becomes restless; he asserts that the person who contacted him will not be found in the survey team's search area.

During the exploration, Gabriel receives a transmission from the transport ship, and calmly informs Julyan and his friends that he and the rest of the team has to return to the ship for repairs to their life support. Morgan sees through his calmness, however, and questions his honesty, but Gabriel stands his ground and instructs the three to remain on planet. Xander refuses to accompany him, stating that his sensors show that his support system is fine, and Gabriel begrudgingly allows him to stay.

As Gabriel and the others take the shuttle back to the ship, Tal convinces the others to exit the safe area and trek to where he'd felt the voice from, claiming it was a particularly large, ruined building. After some searching, the four reach the building Tal had predicted, and enter it.

Personality
Julyan comprises the melancholic component of the temperament ensemble that includes him, Talon, Morgan, and Xander.

Relationships
Prior to his temporal displacement, Julyan was best friends with Aiden Menderson, and knew Benny Sanders and Eric Sagewater through Aiden, though any plans at making a true friendship with them were destroyed after Julyan was sent to the future. In Starhaven, prior to the Tartaran expedition, his most trusted friend and rival is Talon, and Julyan counts Tal's sister, Morgan, as one of his close friends as well. Julyan looks highly upon his fellow peer, Xander, yet regrets they do not have a better friendship. While approving of Gabriel, their friendship can be characterized as distant at best.

While alive immediately before the earliest events of the novel, James and Jillian Novas, Julyan's parents, quickly meet their demise at the hands of Icthyo and Mireya, who assume their identities in Starhaven. Apart from his false parents, with whom Julyan has a tenuous bond, Julyan finds a stronger father figure in the form of Zachariah Sinclair, who holds Julyan in high regard. Julyan has no siblings. At the Elysian Institute, Julyan quickly comes to favor Mentor Marcellus, and it is this link of trust that leads Julyan to suggest that Marcellus be sought out in the aftermath of the events of Tartarus.

Amber, the first Zodiac Psion he met, is also the one in his psionic group he favors the most, a favoritism which swiftly blossoms into actual romantic feelings. As for the others in his party, he finds himself at odds with Rezart most of the time -- Rez's sanguine personality, high intelligence, and vanity makes him the most contested Zodiac in Julyan's group, though more to the point of frustration and envy rather than actual dislike. He comes to view Ocean as an older sister, and finds himself trying not to disappoint her while not having any amorous feelings for her. Despite not approving of Basil's recklessness, he finds the boy's courage and sense of morality refreshing and inspiring.