Nine

“''It gives you something to fight for. Even if that name is your own and that person is you, it’s something you can have, something you can die with. And I make it a courtesy to remember the special name of every person I have killed. Not a courtesy you too will extend, I suppose?''”

— Nine to Ten in Chapter 41: Name (Gallows Humor)

Nine, otherwise known as Number Nine, was a Haint in the Mausoleum. He was the first Haint Ten fought in the Onslaught.

Biography
When Nine was a child he used to play outside before the bus came to pick him up. He says that there were times where he was so distracted that he’d miss the bus, which caused his mother to drive him to school as well as scold him for getting dirty.

In a flashback, Nine’s mother assures him to be nice to other kids and ignore the mean ones, and that if things do not go well in school, he will always have a safe place at home. His mother would give him a paper bag with a slice of pecan pie inside. The pie was stolen at lunch, but Nine smiles and takes a nap.

At some point in his past, Nine also cried about a dead cat. Someone told him to not be upset because death is natural.undefined

Appearance
Nine is a tall young man with brown eyes and smooth freckled brown skin.undefined

It is mentioned that how Nine looked as a child is drastically different to how he looked like as an adult. His hair color as a child is described as dirty blond, though it is not stated if Nine’s hair is still dirty blond.undefined

Personality
Nine is described to be lazy, even by himself. He is also one of the friendlier Haints, as shown with his friendship with Five, and his sympathy towards Ten when they fight.

He is introverted and only pursued a relationship with Five because he was too lazy to pursue more.undefined He is described by Two as someone who was so lazy that he did not mind dying, and also as someone who was devoid of passion.undefined

Nine has an easygoing natureundefined and is an incredibly relaxed person. In the Mausoleum, he spent most of his time in quiet places, napping.undefined

He is also shown to be respectful of Ten and his space and privacy when he says that he will not bother Ten despite the fact that he is now a voice in his head.undefined

In battle, Nine never makes the first move and he has a vast amount of patience. Nine is described as having no weaknesses, being a jack of all trades and a master of none.undefined It is mentioned by a random spectator that Nine is not much of a killer.undefined

Nine did not care about human philosophy and human nature.undefined

Pulse
Nine’s Pulse appears as a grey and cloudlike. It covers Nine’s entire body and takes the form of a wolf. Only half of Nine’s face remains human.

In this form, Nine has shown to use his teeth to dig into flesh with enough force to split bone, and use his paws to dig and pin a body down. It is mentioned that the pelt is too hard to break through his flank or shoulders.undefined

Nine’s Pulse is considered incredibly lethal to a human. The example given is that it is able to cut through major veins like scissors through strands of hair.undefined

When no longer in use, the wolf form dissolves into grey smoke.undefined

According to Five, Nine’s pulse is unpredictable and “fluctuates too much.”undefined

Death
Nine was in a forest when he was attacked by wolves. The forest was gloomy and grey, had a green creek and a dirt road some distance away.undefined It was also snowing.

Nine was attacked by wolves from all sides. They teared him apart and into pieces. Nine had screamed but there was no one around to aid him. He was still breathing when the wolves had eaten and left. He dragged the remains of his body through the snow until he reached a recently made Haunt: a cabin where three family members had recently died. Nine thought he would find help.

Nine managed to open the door, but he only found the three dead bodies. Eventually, Nine was overcome with pain as he laid dying, he described feeling that he was drifting away from his own body and seeing his body instead of seeing from it. This was when he started to hear the voices of the child, husband, and wife that recently died. undefined

Nine eventually died from his injuries.

Battles
Nine vs. Ten: Lost

Trivia

 * Nine hears the voices of the husband, wife, and child that were dead in his Haunt.
 * Nine likes the honesty of Ten’s Pulse.undefined
 * Nine once helped Five hide a body.undefined
 * Nine was nicknamed “Lazy Man” in chapter 42 of Shock Values.
 * Two calls Nine a high school dropout.undefined

Quotes

 * (To Five) “Nah. I’m tired of matches. They make me gassy. And I’m tired of smelling like wet dog.”undefined
 * (To Five) “I…will do my best to contain myself and not kill him if he seems strong enough. Hell, for you, I’d even surrender if he puts up an interesting enough fight and I just don’t feel like killing him…but only if he’s a worthy opponent. After all, not just any man is worthy of you.”undefined
 * (To Ten) “Connor Mal-Malroy, I think. Or Malrose? I’m not sure. It doesn’t matter anymore, but it’s still comforting to know your human name. Any human name you can cling to is comforting. Do you remember your mother’s name?”undefined
 * (To Ten) “What about you? If not your mother’s name, then whose? There must be some human whose name is special to you, one you can hold close at night. We were all human once, even if they don’t remember that. Surely you have a name?”undefined
 * (To Ten) “I don’t believe you. Even you have a name. There’s always one.”undefined
 * (To Ten) “Carolyn. Connor. Those are my names. It’ll be a real shame if I kill you and have nothing to remember you by. What evidence is there that you ever lived? What’s to stop the world from forgetting you like you never were? Isn’t that unbearably sad?”undefined
 * (To Ten) “Because you can’t remember it. But I live in your mind now, Ten. I know everything about you now, just like you can know everything about me, if you wish. I know your name, I know Marco, I know Roman, I know your mo-”undefined
 * (To Ten) “Ah. Sorry. You get the point. Maybe I was just tired of killing people. There comes a time in every Revenant’s afterlife when they just get tired of existing. It’s the same with humans too. Life is all work, no play, the grind isn’t equal to the pleasure, not only are you suffering, but you’re bored, and that’s worse than being in pain. The simple act of existing has never been enough for any of us.”undefined
 * (To Ten) “My mind is yours. I’m not even a fragment of a person, anymore, Ten, I’m a fragment of you now. So like a fragment of a fragment. Feel free to explore.”undefined