#phantom rose

Eventually, alongside the storyline I was writing, I decided Aria would be one of the school's students — a possible lone survivor in the story's setting.

After settling on that role, it became a matter of iteration and refinement: trying out different poses and expressions to find the right tone.

(Some early poses for the in-game battle sprites)

2. Sylphy

Sylphy originally started out as Aria's companion fairy, inspired by one of my favorite JRPGs, Bravely Default.

It might have created some interesting dynamics with the other fairy NPCs in the game, but I ultimately decided to change direction toward a magical cat that could transform between cat and human form.

I felt that a talking cat — referencing common media archetypes from classics like Sailor Moon — would be more relatable and would more clearly establish Sylphy’s role and relationship with Aria.

Afterwards, it was about refining her design to be more fighter-like. Almost ninja- or kunoichi-inspired, to contrast with Aria's peaceful student look.

3. Reverie

Reverie's design wasn't too difficult because I had a strong vision for who she should be: elegant, intricate, and a little out of place, like a fancy clock.

The challenge was finding the right balance.

Making her too visually busy risked overpowering Aria’s modest student uniform. But I still wanted Reverie to feel unique, like an intruder — after all, why would someone dressed like that be wandering around a school?

Overall, designing Reverie was very fun. The direction felt clear from the beginning, and the exploration process went smoothly.

4. Others

I wasn't able to iterate much on some of the other characters due to time constraints, but for the more important ones, I was able to sketch out rough ideas to "feel" their designs before finalizing them for the game.

Estelle was designed mainly to create a strong visual contrast with the younger Aria, while Madeline, the first major antagonist, needed a look that felt out of the ordinary even for the magic school setting.