J.D. Hernández
J.D. Hernández (J・D・エルナンデス, J D Erunandesu) is a primary ally featured in the light novel rey infinito.
He is the leader of a group of paranormal investigators in the Speedwagon Foundation, with Lisa Lisa as his superior.
Appearance
J.D. Hernández's appearance is unknown. He wears an ordinary black suit with the Speedwagon Foundation's wheel logo and carries a gun with him for self-defense.[1]
Personality
J.D. is a cautious and courageous man who isn't afraid to track down and attempt to capture a serial killer with supernatural powers, despite being an ordinary powerless human and only having a gun for self-defense. He's committed to his occupation, aware that it's the duty of a paranormal investigator to pursue the unknown. However, despite his bravery and commitment to his field, he's naturally afraid and anxious in tense situations, feeling helpless when there's nothing he could do. He wishes that he could confront Fabio in the plaza but his vision blurs and he is unable to even help a single person caught in the attack of El Señor de las Moscas.[1]
J.D. is meticulous and inquisitive as he spends five months investigating anything he could find about the serial killing case and then writing a detailed report; he analyzes the commonalities between each case, interprets what kind of person the killer is, and hypothesizes whether the killer's mysterious ability is related to the Ripple. He is also intuitive and has an eye for people, hiring Octavio and Joaquín as informants because he believed they were strong and loved their hometown.[1]
As the leader of his team, J.D. can be bossy, giving out orders even when he's injured and could fall over at any minute.[2] He cares for his allies and feels responsible for getting the teenagers involved with his mission as they got injured against Fabio.[3]
History
Background
Around November 1972, the Speedwagon Foundation dispatches investigators to Antigua, Guatemala to examine each crime scene of a serial killer and interview the locals. J.D. is the group's representative and their investigation lasts for 5 months. After, he sends a detailed report back to the Foundation headquarters in Dallas, Texas. The report details that all of the victims were shot to death but no shell casings were found on the scene, so the investigators are calling them "invisible bullets"; all of the victims were devout Christians; and the killer might be hierophobic as incidents of holy icons such as crucifixes and statues at churches being shattered increased when the killings began. Furthermore, J.D. theorizes that since the invisible bullets defy the law of physics, there might be a link to the Ripple.
The Foundation determines that the killer will strike again during Semana Santa, Antigua's biggest parade of the year in April where the streets will be filled with holy iconography. To aid their investigation, J.D. enlists the help of two local teenagers: Octavio Luna Kan and Joaquín Ruiz-Jorruda.
rey infinito
Guatemala Arc
Battling the Monstruo of Antigua
At night on April 20, 1973, J.D. passes by the ruins of the Convento Santa Clara and meets up with Octavio and Joaquín. Octavio informs him that the killer is on the move, and Joaquín grunts and gestures with his arms and body to communicate. Joaquín has a speech impediment and could not speak, but J.D. is still able to understand what he is trying to say through his expressions. J.D. learns that the killer attacked the sacristan at the La Merced church. Before leaving, J.D. tells Octavio and Joaquín not to engage with the killer if they find him, although Octavio retorts that he could be really useful in a fight. At the church, J.D. speaks with the priest and learns about how the killer attacked him and where he might be headed.
Borrowing a lantern, J.D. follows the path the killer could have taken and keeps his gun ready for self-defense. A souvenir vendor tells J.D. that she saw a man crouching over an unconscious nun, looking like he was about to vomit. However, the man fled deeper into the convent when the souvenir vendor screamed upon seeing him. J.D. goes to the atrium of the convent and orders the frightened nuns to go back into their rooms while he investigates. He finds a wooden pillar engraved with the image of the archangel Gabriel toppled over. Behind it, there's a stairway that descends underground with the door ripped off its hinges, so J.D. enters the tunnel. While J.D. feels like he just entered Hell, his lantern suddenly shatters and would no longer relight, leaving him in complete darkness. He worries about why the killer shot his lantern instead of shooting his head or heart, wondering if he was just being toyed with. Joaquín then appears and grabs J.D.'s hand, forcefully running so that they could escape from the tunnel. As J.D. wonders how Joaquín managed to find his way there and avoid all the obstacles without any light, a swarm of flies suddenly rains down on them. J.D. realizes that these flies must be the invisible bullets, which isn't the Ripple at all but some other power entirely.
Joaquín and J.D. manage to escape from the tunnel and emerge in the plaza in front of a cathedral thanks to Joaquín's navigational skills. The plaza is filled with spectators due to the climax of the parade. Octavio then calls out that he caught the killer, and J.D. is impressed that Octavio has done better than he anticipated. Octavio pins the man down while J.D., other Foundation workers, soldiers, an old homeless lady, and merchant children rush over to the scene. Before J.D. could yell at the locals to leave, a massive swarm of flies covers the entire sky. The killer flicks his wrist, sending the flies raining down like artillery toward Octavio. Octavio is shot in the shoulder and back, but manages to crawl away and take cover, letting the man go.
The killer cries as the flies rain down on everyone around him, confusing J.D. as to what sort of emotion the man is actually feeling. Lisa Lisa takes off her disguise as the old homeless lady and defeats the killer with her Ripple, while J.D. is amazed at her power. He also wonders how old Lisa Lisa really is since she aged beautifully. Lisa Lisa apologizes for arriving late as an incident in Peru kept her occupied for longer than she expected. She points out that the flies were ferocious and had hardened skin before, but now returned to their natural form once the killer fell unconscious. She confirms that the ability isn't actually the Ripple but something else, and suspects that the killer must have been struck by the Bow and Arrow, which awakened his powers.[1]
Aftermath of Semana Santa
The killer's name is revealed as Fabio Ubuh. The Speedwagon Foundation hands Fabio over to the Guatemalan police and informs them how to safely keep him in custody. Since he cannot generate flies from thin air, he is confined to a sterilized room with no ventilation shafts[3] and wears a straitjacket.[2] J.D. visits Fabio several times but Fabio refuses to speak, so they sit in silence each time. However, Fabio finally caves in and explains his past. He reveals that his ability is named El Señor de las Moscas, but once he begins speaking about it, he starts rambling in excitement, resulting in the latter half of his testimony being unintelligible.
Several days after the Semana Santa, Lisa Lisa walks through the streets of Guatemala while listening to J.D.'s report. He takes full responsibility for putting Octavio and Joaquín in danger and informs Lisa Lisa that he had them get treated by the Foundation's doctors. He also mentions that they've been demanding to speak with a representative of the investigation team, so Lisa Lisa agrees to go see them since she wanted to anyways.
Octavio asks how Lisa Lisa pulled off those techniques at her age but J.D. admonishes him, claiming that they made a deal that the boys wouldn't get involved any further after the killer is captured. Octavio then starts begging Lisa Lisa to allow him and Joaquín to join the Foundation as investigators, but J.D. refuses in her stead. Lisa Lisa also refuses at first but decides to give them a challenge, curious of their worth.[3] At the same time, J.D. is also given the same tasks as them. J.D. and his men interview Fabio's coworkers at the maquiladora he worked at and the landlord of the apartment where he lived. Four days after Lisa Lisa gave them the challenge, the duo hands her their completed report, beating J.D.'s group to the punch. Lisa Lisa accepts them as official members and they join J.D.'s team.[2]
A Game of Hopscotch
Accompanied by Lisa Lisa, Octavio, and Joaquín, J.D. drives a car to the location of where a human trafficking gang is rumored to be, according to Octavio and Joaquín's report. The other investigators in J.D.'s team follow in separate cars. J.D. feels odd seeing the informants he hired wear the same suits as him. They reach their destination, arriving at a small settlement. However, the place appears to be deserted. They decide to investigate anyways since they came all this way. As soon as Octavio exits the car, he steps on the prongs of a half-buried rake, severely injuring the toes of one foot. The group also notice circles and squares drawn in chalk on the ground. J.D., his team members, and Joaquín exit the car, while Lisa Lisa stays behind. Suddenly, a pit appears beneath one investigator, causing him to fall. J.D. tries calling out the member's name and dashes to the pitfall with another investigator but it was too deep for them to see anything. As the other investigators tried rushing back to help their allies, more of them fall into holes.
Joaquín notices the chalk and makes noises while pointing to it. J.D. understands what he's trying to say, deducing that anyone who steps inside of a shape drawn in chalk will fall into a hole. However, Octavio reveals that he's already stepping inside one but hasn't fallen. Joaquín copies Octavio's posture with one foot up causing Octavio and J.D. to realize that this is a game of hopscotch. As the group stands on one foot, J.D. orders them to focus on getting back to the car before thinking of a rescue plan. Suddenly, they see a large number of shapes being drawn on the ground by an invisible evil spirit, covering the ground with patterns. Making matters worse, a rusty sickle is thrown at J.D.'s thigh, making it difficult for him to keep his balance. Several sickles, hatchets, knives, and rakes are sent flying toward the investigators, causing more of them to fall into holes.
Octavio grabs J.D. and carries him on his back, managing to hop on one foot with the weight of two people. Meanwhile, the evil spirit draws underneath their cars, creating a hole beneath the car Lisa Lisa is sitting in. However, she manages to save herself by using the Ripple on her muffler alongside acrobatic techniques. Lisa Lisa informs them that there is no need to retreat. Instead, they now have more data about these abilities. She thinks that the ability can't spread its power over a wide range, so the user must be hiding nearby. Octavio and Joaquín both understand what she means, thinking the user might be hiding in the water tank in the corner of the plaza. Their suspicion proves correct and they find a 15-year-old mixed orphan named Izahela Mena-Mena. She is the user of an ability later named "Hopscotch" in the investigation files. She collapses from exhaustion and they find that she was assisted by other children who were throwing the weapons.
The Speedwagon Foundation takes Izahela and the other children into custody and they learn from her testimony about a man named Alhorn being the leader of the traffickers, who used an Arrow on herself and several others. Lisa Lisa gives a speech about mysterious phenomena occurring in Peru and possibly other locations caused by what seems to be a virus. She hypothesizes that a man who wished for the power of a god made the Arrows from minerals at these locations and there must be several of these Arrows throughout the world. Lisa Lisa states that it is now the Speedwagon Foundation's duty to retrieve every arrow in circulation. For the present, they will focus on capturing the subordinates of Alhorn and recover the arrows they possess in Latin America.[2]
Peru Arc
J.D. teaches Octavio and Joaquín while they're on the go, educating them on important theories and training them in self-defense and espionage. In 1974, he is with Octavio and Joaquín in Peru, as they look for clues about Alhorn. Octavio complains about having to study, but J.D. emphasizes the importance of desk work and urges Octavio to emulate Joaquín's dedication. Octavio is more interested in learning the Ripple power that Lisa Lisa uses. J.D. explains that it isn't just a simple trick but a profound martial art technique. Octavio then asks if J.D. can use it, but he denies being able to. Just then, Lisa Lisa arrives at the base to begin the briefing of what they learned from Fabio and Izahela. J.D. explains what Fabio told him during his visits, such as how Fabio would see an insectoid nobleman standing behind him when using his ability.[4]
Much later, J.D., Lisa Lisa, and other agents arrive at Alhorn's citadel by following signals left behind by Joaquín. Looking through binoculars, they see Sasha Loggins, Octavio, and Joaquín fighting a man they don't recognize, named Dos Santos. Sasha spots Lisa Lisa below her and yells as loud as she can to communicate with her teacher. J.D. communicates what Lisa Lisa wants to say to her by shouting back, urging Sasha to use the Ripple on their enemy while Octavio has him in a chokehold. Sasha informs them of her new ability awakened from the Arrow, which eventually allows Lisa Lisa, Sasha, Octavio, and Joaquín to incapacitate Dos Santos through a team effort. Suddenly, Alhorn shoots Octavio and Joaquín with the Arrow just as he's escaping from his hideout in a truck. J.D., Sasha, and Lisa Lisa rush to the pair's side before bringing them to the Foundation's infirmary.[5]
Chapters
Novel Appearances- rey infinito Chapter 1: I - Guatemala Arc
- rey infinito Chapter 2: II - Guatemala Arc
- rey infinito Chapter 3: III - Guatemala Arc
- rey infinito Chapter 5: V - Peru Arc
- rey infinito Chapter 8: VIII - Peru Arc (Mentioned only)
- rey infinito Chapter 9: IX - Peru Arc (Mentioned only)
- rey infinito Chapter 10: X - Peru Arc
- rey infinito Chapter 11: XI - Peru Arc (Mentioned only)
- rey infinito Chapter 14: XIV - Final Arc
- rey infinito Chapter 15: XV - Final Arc
- rey infinito Chapter 17: XVII - Final Arc
- rey infinito Chapter 19: XIX - Final Arc
- rey infinito Final Chapter: Epilogo (Mentioned only)
Quotes
Quotes- “Is there no salvation to be had? Even now, the Lord won't answer this ancient city's prayers? Is this chaos stopping their prayers from reaching Him?”—J.D. Hernández, rey infinito Chapter 1
- “So this is it. This is las Maravillas we've heard about...”—J.D. Hernández about the Ripple, rey infinito Chapter 1
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 rey infinito Chapter 1: I - Guatemala Arc
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 rey infinito Chapter 3: III - Guatemala Arc
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 rey infinito Chapter 2: II - Guatemala Arc
- ↑ rey infinito Chapter 5: V - Peru Arc
- ↑ rey infinito Chapter 10: X - Peru Arc
