Nei
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- Birth Date
- August 30, AW 1283
- Height
- 5' 3" / 160 cm
- Job
- None
- Race
- Biomonster / Numan
- Also Known As
- Neisecond
- Appearances
- Phantasy Star II
- Phantasy Star II: Nei's Adventure
- Phantasy Star IV
- Phantasy Star generation:2
- Relatives
- Neifirst
- Rika
Biography
After Neifirst escaped from the scientists that created her and began to engineer a biomonster outbreak, a part of her psyche rebelled against the thirst for revenge that had consumed her. Through unknown means, this aspect of Neifirst's personality was able to separate itself from her, both physically and mentally, to manifest as a new being. The new being, taking the name Nei and having the appearance of a young child similar to Neifirst, fled from her sister's stronghold.
Nei was soon found by a married couple, both of whom were scientists previously attached to the Neifirst project. Recognizing the child's nature, they brought her into their home and began to raise her as a daughter. Unfortunately, another scientist from the Neifirst project had placed a bounty on Neifirst's head. An unscrupulous Hunter named Darum learned of Nei and whipped the local townspeople into a mob frenzy. The couple's home was burned to the ground with them inside. The kindly parents helped the child escape the fire by going underground. When she emerged, she saw the home burning and began to wander the wilderness of Motavia.
Eventually, Nei's wanderings brought her to Paseo. While there, she was assaulted by another Hunter, then left in a dump when this Hunter realized he could not sell her for a profit. She also met Rudolf Steiner for the first time and obtained a claw that was said to have been used by Myau. Exploring the city brought her into contact with the scientist that had placed the bounty on Neifirst, who was surprised to learn of a younger version of Neifirst. The scientist had family living in the city and many pet Musk Cats, some of whom the child was able to befriend.
Darum was also present in the city, unfortunately. He encountered Nei and chased her. When the scientist refused to help Darum capture her, on the grounds that she was not the target of the bounty, Darum murdered the man and continued the hunt. As he lay dying, the scientist gave Nei, who had seen this exchange, a vial containing a vital ingredient to Numan research, which she later sold to a clone lab worker.
Soon after, Darum found the child again and they fought. She overcame him with little difficulty, but a surprise attack by the Hunter threatened her life. A timely appearance by Rolf saved her. Rolf invited the girl to live with him, at his home in Paseo, in the role of a younger sister.
Seven months later, Nei had grown to adulthood and insisted on accompanying Rolf on his investigation into the biomonster outbreaks. When their group encountered Neifirst at Climacontrol, Nei's origins were revealed to the group. They also learned that Nei could not survive without Neifirst, due to having once been part of Neifirst. Both of the sisters perished at Climacontrol, leaving a heartbroken Rolf in their wake.
In Phantasy Star II, that was the end of Nei's story. Unlike other characters (including Nei herself, prior to those events), Nei can no longer be revived at the Clone Laboratories common through the game. Her death was part of the story, giving it more finality. However, in the remake Phantasy Star generation:2, it is possible to revive Nei if an intricate series of events had been previously completed. In either case, Nei's spirit came to rest in the Cavern of the Sacred Sword below Esper Mansion after her demise.
The word "Nei" is also an ancient word of power that can be used to imbue weapons with the strength needed to defeat powerful foes like Dark Force. Rolf and his friends recovered such weapons later in their journey. The heroes of the Alisa III were also able to have weapons empowered through the use of the word of power.
The Newman races seen in Phantasy Star Online and Phantasy Star Universe are based on the character concepts of Nei and Neifirst, but are not otherwise related. Nei is sometimes considered to be a member of the "Numan" race, even though Rika is the only official Numan.
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