| “ | "All who approach this house shall—with one exception—be consigned to oblivion at these hands." | ” |
—Retrace XLIV: Dusty Sky | ||
Rytas (リータス, Rītasu) is a minor character from Jun Mochizuki's Pandora Hearts. He is the guardian of one of the Stone Seals which protect against the return of Glen Baskerville. His duty had been passed onto him from his mother, one of the original magicians who had operated under Arthur Barma, the Barma Dukedom's ancestor, to create the Seals.
Rytas thus spent his entire life isolating himself from the outside and protecting the Seal from any trespassers, with only two exceptions. Marie, who had been abandoned in the woods near his home by a nearby village, and whom he had taken in as a valet and treated as his own. And Oz Vessalius—that is, the one who possesses the powers of the B-Rabbit, as by Jack Vessalius's own words to Rytas's mother, it would be he who would come find the Seals and save the world from the Baskervilles once again.
This article contains plot and/or ending details for Pandora Hearts.
Read at your own risk.
Appearance[]
Rytas appeared as an elderly man, having no hair, glasses with circular lenses, and a piercing in his left ear composed of a variety of beads. Rytas was wheel chair bound, but had a cane that he could walk on if he supported his body weight both on his and Marie. Rytas wore a thick dark coat over a black robe, as well as black shoes and an ascot of an unknown color.
Personality[]
Ryats' personality was mild-mannered and kind. He appeared to have stayed loyal to his purpose as the guardian of one of the Sealing Stones throughout his entire life, unlike some of the other descendants of guardians, one who attempted to use the Sealing Stone for his own personal gain, and the other who did not appear to be defending the Sealing Stone that was located in Sablier. Rytas was shown to be very polite as well, often apologizing, both for Marie's actions and for his own misunderstandings. His kindness was reflected when he took it upon himself to take in and care for young Marie when she was abandoned, however Rytas wanted Marie to go out and see the world as she had grown up only knowing of dusty skies.
History[]
Rytas was the son of a mage whom was one of the five sorcerers to sever Jack Vessalius's body and curse it to be used as a medium to prevent Glen Baskerville's soul from returning to Earth after 100 cycles, as souls were meant to. Rytas was told on numerous occasions by his mother, whom had met Jack before the sorcerers that underwent the ceremony, "Even if the Baskervilles should show up again, you needn't worry, he who wields the power of B-Rabbit will surely come to your aid."
Eventually, Rytas' mother died, and it was up to him to protect the Sealing Stone until Jack's descendant came to retrieve it himself. Rytas eventually found a young child, abandoned in the woods by the villagers of Toll, a town that neighbors Carillon. Rytas took it upon himself to raise the child, named Marie. With Marie's growth, Rytas' liveliness began to fade, and so rather than going off on her own when she was old enough, Marie remained by her master's side as his valet, taking care of his every need, which included attacking intruders who sought after the Sealing Stone.
Plot[]
Shortly after Marie took care of two Pandora members sent by Rufus Barma to search Rytas' mansion for the Sealing Stone, Oz Vessalius, Gilbert Nightray, Alice and Sharon Rainsworth were lead by Gruner to the mansion. Marie revealed to them that she had killed the Pandora members before them and had just come back from disposing of their bodies in the woods, Marie then proceeds to viciously attack the group with a hack saw, until Oz summoned B-Rabbit's scythe and used it to destroy Marie's hack saw. Oz then went in to decapitate Marie, however, Alice stopped him before he could do so.
Rytas, having heard the commotion, enters the room and apologizes for the way that Marie acted, telling the group that the Sealing Stone was in the basement of the manor. After Marie and Rytas shown Oz, Sharon, Gil, Alice and Gruner to the Sealing Stone, Rytas remarks on how Oz must be in pain, explaining how the Sealing Stones' power negates a Chain's own power, and even so it must be hard to carry the burden of B-Rabbit. Oz asks if Rytas knew who he was, and Rytas explains that he didn't, but that he knew that only B-Rabbit could overcome the power of the Sealing Stone, as his mother had told him many times before. Rytas explained that after he had spoken with Rytas' mother, Jack died from the wound in his chest and the Barmas used his body as a medium to seal away Glen Baskerville's soul. Rytas laughs as he states that while Oz is a child, by looking into his eyes Rytas could see the power of Jack Vessalius.
Oz tells Rytas that while he carries Jack's soul within him and looks like Jack, he was not Jack, he was just Oz. Rytas is taken back by Oz's statement, but understands and asks Oz to forgive him for the misunderstanding. Grüner tells Gil that he should take Oz, Alice and Sharon back to Toll to contact Rufus to make preparations for the extraction of the Sealing Stone, also they didn't look to be in good shape, Grüner volunteered to stay with Rytas, Marie and the Sealing Stone just in case something went wrong. Before they left, Rytas gave Oz a box, meant to point him in the direction of the next Sealing Stone, because they were unable to tell Oz where the exact location of the next Sealing Stone was. Oz asks what Rytas will do now that his duty to the Sealing Stone was fulfilled. Rytas explains that because of his age, he'd likely live out what's left of his life in peace, however he wanted Marie to have to see the better side of the world that she had always been deprived of.
Marie and Grüner bring Rytas back inside of the manor where Marie suggests that it had been a long day, proposing that she'd make tea right away. As Marie turns around, Rytas' head has been cut off, Marie is devastated and while Grüner tries to understand what's going on, he finally sees the assailant, and immediately know who she is, the Head Hunter, Grüner and Marie are then also decapitated, leaving the Head Hunter free to destroy the Sealing Stone.
Quotes[]
- "That's enough, Marie."
- "Such rudeness, I beg your forgiveness, the thing you are looking for is downstairs."
- "It is said that the Sealing Stone can suppress the power of Chains, even if you are just a contractor, it must be hard to carry the burden of B-Rabbit."
- "You have the appearance of a child... but in your eyes, I can see the power of that man, Jack Vessalius, that my mother told me about."
- "We are not allowed to tell you much but... in here, you will find some information that may be able to point you to the path you should follow."
- "Now that I have accomplished my duty, I want this girl who has only seen dusty skies her entire life, to see the beautiful blue sky..."
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
- Retrace XLIII: Crown of Clown (First Appearance)
- Retrace XLIV: Dusty Sky (†)
- Retrace XLVII: Unbirthday*
- Retrace XLVIII: Isla Yura (Mentioned only)
- Retrace LIII: Humpty Dumpty Sat On A Wall (Mentioned only)
(*) - Denotes that the character did not appear physically, but as a part of another character's memories.
Trivia[]
- Rytas's name means 'Morning' in Lithuanian.