Ahrens Parvis

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Ahrens Parvis is an NPC in Arknights. He is is briefly mentioned in Mansfield Break and acts as a major supporting character in Dorothy's Vision and Lone Trail.

Background

Parvis is the head of Rhine Lab's Structural Section and one of its first members alongside Ferdinand Clooney, both of whom joining in 1085. Born from a family of famous Leithanien scholars in the field of Originium research, he has more than forty years worth of experience in particle research.[2] He became the mentor of Dr. Olivia Silence, allowing her to work at R.L. even after she contracted Oripathy.[3][4] Despite his calm, kindly demeanor, he is willing to go to great lengths to pursue his research, even if he has to disregard moral boundaries or manipulate others for his own ends. He holds a highly judgemental view of the scientific landscape and believes that only the Übermenschen able to rise above the masses and transcend mediocrity deserve to wield science and advancement, with all others being irrelevant at best or expendable at worst. Because of this, he places great value on the lives of talented researchers, but hypocritically believes that test subjects should be honored to have their lives sacrificed for science.

In the Terran year 1095, Parvis took control over "Project Diαbolic," which was originally a collaboration between Rhine Lab and Haydn Pharmaceuticals under the supervision of Columbia's Department of Defense. The project intended to revive the extinct Diαblo Sarkaz and create a humanoid superweapon. However, an accident occurred, and the test subject, Ifrit, destroyed the laboratory she was held. Being the only survivor of the accident, she was taken into Rhine Lab's custody with extreme Oripathy symptoms. Parvis was first to suggest using "Chimera Treatment", an experimental therapy that uses treated Originium shards to coalesce Originium particles within the body.[5] However, this was only a ruse in order to continue Haydn's experiments.

Among his peers, Parvis is considered a sly opportunist who will only directly engage in affairs if he is sure he can gain an advantage from it, and will sit out of any conflicts until he can discern and join the winning side. In spite of this, he seems to have some lingering sentiments towards the earlier days of Rhine Lab, when the company was smaller and the department heads were more close-knit.

Story

Rhodes Island's Records of Originium - Rhine Lab

In 1095, after Ifrit was interned at Rhine Lab's HQ, Parvis appointed Silence as his assistant during the treatment. She was in charge of looking after Ifrit's health and implementing the Diαbolic shards. He also introduces her to Saria —Director of the Defense Section at the time— and suggests that they should use the Chimera Treatment to stabilize Ifrit's infection. The treatmen's application is a success, and Silence informs Parvis that Ifrit's cells are showing signs of assimilation.[5] During a conversation with Saria, Silence recalls that Parvis was also aware of Ptilopsis' condition due to the implantation of the Device #9 chip on her brain, and regards her decision of serving as the guinea pig of her own experiment as unthoughtful.[6]

As Ifrit's treatment progressed, the injections started became longer and more painful for her. Despite receiving protests from Saria and Silence regarding the increasingly violent reactions exhibited by Ifrit, Parvis is determined to continue the experiments. He reminds Silence that since the Chimera Treatment is experimental, they're still far from the desired result.[7] Saria questions Parvis about the possible unethical implications of the Chimera Treatment due to the recent therapy session putting Ifrit on extreme, above average stress levels. Parvis simply replies that the experimental treatment is a success despite Ifrit's physical pain, but reminds Saria that at the end of the day, this project belongs to the Structural Section. Parvis' complete disregard towards Ifrit's well-being, in adition of the increase of the Originium dosages, enrages Silence. Nevertheless, he believes that Ifrit is now more eager to cooperate with them, so they no longer need Saria's intervention.[8]

Saria, who has learned that Ifrit's Originium Arts caused the accident at the Haydn-1 Lab, orders Parvis to halt the Originium injections due to its potential risk to the entire HQ's safety. Enraged, Parvis tells Saria that by stopping the injections, she has technically interfered with Structural's affairs. In turn, she demands Parvis to reevaluate Structural's treatment ¿plan and submit it to Defense. Both directors decide to discuss the issue to Control. After succesfully arranging terms, Parvis agreed to apply the safety meassures to the experiment,[9] However, when Silence discovers the truth about the 'treatments', Parvis flatly says that this sacrifice was necessary to pursue progress, that this was the nature of science. He also reminds Silence that she personally implemented the Diαbolic shards into Ifrit's body. Despite his vague threats, he hopes that Silence will continue seeing the experiments through to the end, as he views her as his star pupil.[10]

Silence's sabotage of the experiment resulted in the event known as the "Diαbolic Crisis", where Ifrit's Arts went out of control and nearly destroyed Rhine Lab. As a result, the experiment was suspended indefinitely, and Ifrit would later be taken to Rhodes Island. Parvis was disappointed in Silence's decision to leave Rhine, but still admires her as his best student. Since Saria took responsibility for the incident, Parvis retains his position as Director of R.L.'s Structural Section.

Mansfield Break

Although not appearing in the event, Parvis is mentioned by Silence as the director of the Structural Section and her former mentor. She claims to have first picked up the trail of the Hydebro incident from his notes, but admits that Parvis himself is likely unaware of the ongoing incident.

Dorothy's Vision

Parvis came to R.L.'s HQ looking for Muelsyse after her dissaperance and meets with Ferdinand. He mentions him that he made a bet with Muelsyse two days ago, hearing that Ferdinand was planning to usurp the title of Rhine Lab's Control for himself, with Muelsyse waggering ten black bean tea boxes from Ecological's hydroponics for the winner.[11] Ferdinand takes his words as an attempt to blackmail him, but Parvis reassures him by saying this was only some 'encouragement,' saying he would rather not see Ferdinand bring Rhine into the ground. He also reminds Ferdinand that he told one of the researchers, Ben, to have a tea with him, almost drinking his entire stash as he talked. When Ferdinand brought the Diabolical Crisis to the conversation, Parvis remembers how his former student Silence used an anesthetic she created during the project's final phase. Following its suspenssion, he decided to check Loken Williams's data logs and found out that his workflow during the Chimeric Treatment was more complex that it should've been, and reveals that he made chnages on erdinand's formula thanks to his conjetures. Before leaving, Parvis asks Ferdinand if he could pick up the tab over the black bean tea boxes.[12]

Later, when Doctor, Saria, and Muelsyse enter the site, they briefly encounter Parvis on a stroll. Parvis feigns ignorance and pretends not to know Saria, clearly unconcerned with her surprise appearance. He reminds Muelsyse that he won their bet and she owes him the aforementioned black bean tea boxes now.[13]

Lone Trail

Despie his advanced age causing his mental faculties to deteriorate, Parvis is one of the benefactors secretly enlisted by Kristen for Project Horizon Arc, using his expertise in chimerism in conjunction with the Transmitter developed by Dorothy and Ferdinand to create and operate a control unit for the Galleria Stellaria, with a secondary goal of trying to see if it is possible to create an artificial soul using the Transmitter.

His former student Silence, determined to stop the project and all of the unethical experimentation it stands for, eventually confronts him and declares her intention to shut down his Hub. Although initially cordial towards her, Ahrens is enraged by her interference, criticizing her lack of foresight and declaring that science should only belong to the "chosen ones" who are enlightened enough to rise above the mediocre masses. Silence retorts by accusing Parvis of not actually considering himself one of the chosen despite his ideals, and that his goal to create a perfect life form through chimerism is an attempt to make up for his own weakness. Undeterred by his words and ranting, Silence smashes the Hub, destroying the connection to the Galleria and seemingly halting its activity.

As a last resort, Parvis merges his consciousness with the Transmitter, declaring that even if he is unable to transcend mediocrity as he wished, he should still be content with being of assistance to one of the chosen instead, choosing to sacrifice his life instead of deteriorating and dying of old age. Although his consciousness cannot be preserved with the Transmitter, his actions successfully reactivate it enough for Project Horizon Arc to continue undeterred. What's left of his body is only an empty husk, leaving Silence shocked and traumatized.

Following his death, Parvis' position as Director of Structural is taken by an unnamed researcher.

An excerpt from a news headline published on November 29th, 1099[2]
"Ahrens Parvis, head of the Rhine lab Structural Section, passes away at age 58"

Recently, Ahrens Parvis, the director of Rhine Lab's Structural Section, has passed way due to a sudden illness at his home in Trimounts at the age of 58. Parvis was born into a family of scholars in Leithanien. His parents were famous Leithanian scholars in the field of Originium. After many years of study, he came to Rhine Lab and became a head in structural research. During his lifetime, Parvis' main focus was structural biochemistry, exploring the basic particle reaction and morphological reactions of Terran organisms, as well as the structural changes on the basic functions of biological particles. His achievements had made Rhine Lab the leader on the research of "Originium's effects on organisms". Furthermore, he also made certain achievements in the exploration of the principles of mineralogy

Trivia

  • Parvis' previous face with four ears
    Likely due to an oversight, Parvis' goat ears are drawn on his human ear side in Records of Originium Rhine Lab, thus making him having two ears. On the other hand, his in-game NPC version possesses four ears (human and goat ears). The mistake was later synchronized into his two-ear version during Lone Trail.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 CW-9 After
  2. 2.0 2.1 p. 349,"Rhine Lab," Terra: A Journey
  3. p. 351, "Rhine Lab LLC", Terra: A Journey.
  4. Rhine Lab Research Report
  5. 5.0 5.1 Chapter 2, "Experimental Treatment," Rhodes Island's Records of Originium - Rhine Lab
  6. Chapter 3, "I Want Something Just Like This," Rhodes Island's Records of Originium - Rhine Lab
  7. Chapter 4, "Like You, Like Me," Rhodes Island's Records of Originium - Rhine Lab
  8. Chapter 5, "When It Rains, It Pours," Rhodes Island's Records of Originium - Rhine Lab
  9. Chapter 6, "Same Old, Diferent People," Rhodes Island's Records of Originium - Rhine Lab
  10. Chapter 7, "Everything I Can," Rhodes Island's Records of Originium - Rhine Lab
  11. DV-3 Before
  12. DV-3 After
  13. DV-7 After