Defection

“	"These are not ones to play by the rules. They do not believe in the ways they have been taught for eternities. They are done being tools in a war they care nothing for. They have broken out. They are following their own path. They are the defectors."	”
	— D

Defection is when an Arkn or Dekn renounces their loyalty to the mindset (and causes) of their kind.

The Act

Defectors are characterized by their decision to have nothing to do with their race as a whole. The first ever defector was the Arkn Lord Imperious. (However, the reasons behind his defection are unknown.) Defection is usually accompanied by the individual being banished from the domain of their kind (The Golden Cities and The Infinitium). Some Defectors break out into other realities, while others choose to remain inside the refuge of The Defector's Grounds (the Wastelands). Defection is exceptionally dangerous, as those who do it they are considered traitors and are often hunted down. Some Defectors choose to become Neutral (though not all Neutrals are defectors).

Arkn Defection

Officially, defection is made public to the Arkn in a ceremony known as The Bastard's Decay. This process entails the forced tearing and removal of one's wings over a painful period of eight days. The honor is given to either the closest of kin, or (if none are available) to one of the present Valkyrium (usually Maalformius Darkrage). In cases where an Arkn is caught defecting to the Dekn as a form of treachery, the reproductive organs are also removed alongside the wings, over the process of eight days.

Some Arkn, rather than officially defecting, choose to simply leave The Golden Cities quietly, and either join forces with the Dekn or remaining hidden among humanity as Earth Arkn. These Arkn are known as Rogue Defectors. The Valkyrium do not take kindly to Rogues (aside from the Earth Arkn, who are actually respected in the eyes of the Valkyrium), and brutally massacre and assassinate them whenever they find them.

Dekn Defection

Due to the perfection of Dekn society and the freedom they are allowed, Dekn rarely have any reason or cause to defect. Because of this, there is no official form of Dekn defection. (Lilis, Arix, and Phoenix are the only Dekn known to have defected; the former were unable, and unwilling, to follow orders from the Emperor, while the latter fell in love with an Arkn Nomad.) In the place of defection, Dekn will typically just leave the Infinitium, not taking part in the War and living their own lives somewhere else. While this is dangerous (due to their kind being hunted down by both the Arkn and the Valkyrium), some Dekn have joined the Earth Arkn and managed live peacefully among humankind in .Reality.

Known Defectors

April – Defected Arkn.
Arie'exel (Arix) – Former employee of The Carver. Defected after refusing to help kill a human infant.
Asm'odeus – Former Arkn. Defected after being banished for his crimes as a Watcher.
Ava
Aza'azel – Former Arkn; defected after being sealed in the earth for his crimes as a Watcher.
Circe
Dia'rin'ceria
Ellpagg – Former Arkn Prince. Defected after being betrayed by the Arkn Council, who arranged for his imprisonment in the Infernous.
Hash'bor'kanibal – Defected from the Arkn after killing King Gilgamesh.
Imperious – Former Arkn Lord. The first known defector.
Jin
Kale
Kry'atha – Former Arkn High Priestess. Defected following an affair with Hash'bor'kanibal.
Kadne'Tgasti – Defected Arkn.
Megan – Defected Arkn Lady.
Phoenix – Former member of the Dekn Choir. Defected after falling in love with an Arkn Nomad.
Raph'ael – Former Arkn Knight. Defected after losing faith in the Arkn cause.
Samael Crow – Former Arkn Lord of Death.
Ur'iel – Former Arkn King. Defected after being imprisoned for beheading a member of the Arkn Council.

Trivia and Speculation

Imperious is said to have been the first defector, sometime after the creation of The Nexellium. In The Writings of Raziel, however, it is stated that a number of Arkn defected to the Dekn during the first War (long before The Nexellium was created). It is possible that these cases occurred before Defection was officially defined by the Arkn government.