Gretel

"Hey mother, praise me, I defeated the evil witch."

- Gretel

Gretel was a girl kidnapped and raised by Eve and Adam Moonlit, and the twin sister of Hänsel. Born as part of Project 'Ma', the newborn twins were taken by their mother, Meta Salmhofer, to Held's Forest and raised by the Moonlit Family after Eve killed Meta. After being abandoned in the forest during a famine, Hänsel and Gretel murdered their foster parents and split Eve's Original Sin into the Seven Deadly Sins.

Project 'Ma'
Gretel was born along with her twin brother, Hänsel, in the Levianta Royal Institute as part of Project 'Ma'. After birthed by her mother, Meta Salmhofer, Gretel and her brother were placed in vitro conditions. Celebrated by the people of the Magic Kingdom, their births marked the first year of a new calendar, EC 0. Some time later, they were taken by their mother from the laboratory and hid in Elphegort.

Original Sin
After a year of being hidden by Meta, she carried them to Held's Forest for a stroll. While there, Meta settled them near a tree and left them. Soon after, she and Hänsel were discovered by Eve Moonlit. Believing them to be fruit, Eve took them and carried them through the forest as she fled from their mother and eventually killed her. After being greeted by her husband, Adam, he saw the twins in her hands and became horrified by Eve's action. With Meta dead and the twins orphaned, the two woodcutters adopted the children and raised them as their own.

In EC 014, Gretel and her brother were led by their parents deep into the forest on a moonlit night. The curious twin asked her mother what fortune they would find on their path and wondered if their destination would have lots of their favorite snacks to eat. Eventually, Gretel and her brother realized that they would be lost if they continued on the path and were soon after abandoned by their parents to die. Seemingly betrayed, Gretel and her brother concluded their parents were actually a wicked witch and her henchman that had tricked them.

Filling the glass bottle her brother had with moonlight, the two used it to light their path as they wandered. At last, Gretel and Hänsel arrived back home, recognizing it as the "witch's house". With manic expressions, the twins decided to murder the witch, believing they would become happy if she was gone, and their shadows began spawning tendrils. Knocking at the door, Adam and Eve answered and, while they stared in horror, Hänsel and Gretel grabbed their fake parents with their shadows' spectral arms. Gretel then happily implored her "mother" to praise her for defeating the evil witch, laughing.

While Hänsel murdered the "henchman", Gretel shoved Eve into an oven. Watching the "witch" burn to ashes in the oven, they witnessed her body become the embodiment of her Original Sin. Splitting it into seven fragments, they scattered it across the world so that it could be eventually cleansed. Gretel and her brother enjoyed the confines of the witch's house, sleeping in a chair there for the rest of night, and then decided to go out and search for their "real" mother and father.

Legacy
After her death, Gretel's soul reincarnated with her same appearance every few centuries. In several cases, her reincarnations maintained some of Gretel's memories and characteristics, including loyalty to matriarchal figures who resembled her mother, Meta. Due to the disruption of fate caused by Abyss I.R. and Queen Prim, Gretel's soul reincarnated as Ney Marlon instead, though the originally intended reincarnation, Princess Riliane, continued to share her visage. In EC 505, Gretel's soul merged with the Glass of Conchita and her degraded will manifested as the female servant centuries later, serving the Master of the Graveyard.

The playwright Ma wrote several screenplays involving Hänsel and Gretel and adapted them into films. While watching the films with an intruder to Evil's Theater, Ma questioned if the twins even existed, since they seemed to be hidden so well by their parents that no documents recording them existed. While reflecting on the "motions" of the Master of the Court, Gammon Octo noted how Hänsel's reincarnation, Lemy Abelard, was uncharacteristically born without a Gretel counterpart. Gammon also wondered what became of the twins, questioning if they needed to ask the Master of the Hellish Yard to find an answer.

Personality and Traits
As a child, Gretel acted kind and innocent alongside her brother and appeared obedient to their parents. They weren't naive, however, and realized when the forest path the family took would inevitably get them lost. After being abandoned by her mother and father, Gretel became embittered by the event and concluded that Adam and Eve weren't their real parents at all, simply a witch and her henchman that had tricked them.

Gretel could also be extremely devious, murdering Eve with smile on her face, all while mocking her foster parent. Likewise, she and her brother became determined to find their real parents, despite not knowing who they might be. Gretel seemed to usually lean on her brother for support, letting Hänsel lead them along the path ahead of them and often holding his hand. The twin also had a particular affinity for tasty treats.

Skills and Abilities
Despite being only fourteen and having a rather short stature, Gretel was able to successfully kill people twice her size, albeit through the use of an unknown power. Through this power, the young twin's shadow could come to life and manifest in dark, twisted forms, such as arms, hands, or other appendages. She also showed some other magical capabilities, splitting the Original Sin into seven pieces and scattering them across the world.

Character Connections
Meta Salmhofer: Gretel's real mother. Gretel didn't remember Meta, growing up in Eve's care, but she later expressed a wish to find her "real" mother after Adam and Eve were dead. She passed on a fanatic loyalty to Meta to most of her reincarnations, showing this loyalty to all her mother figures and people resembling her.

Eve Moonlit: Gretel's foster mother. Gretel grew up thinking of Eve as her mother, however, she became convinced she was a wicked witch after she and Hänsel were abandoned by her. Delighting in her accomplishment after killing Eve, Gretel later considered her to be a pretentious and troublesome woman, discovering her Original Sin among her ashes.

Adam Moonlit: Gretel's foster father. Gretel grew up thinking of Adam as her father, however she became convinced he was the wicked henchman of a witch after she and Hänsel were abandoned by him and delighted in bringing about his death. She gave him no more consideration after discovering Eve's Original Sin.

Hänsel: Gretel's twin brother. Gretel loved her brother and was always beside him if she could help it, taking comfort from holding his hand and helping him defeat the witch and henchman. She also acted as Hänsel's voice of reason, telling him the truth of what he heard and saw after their foster parents were dead. She stayed with him after Eve's death and would usually be by his side in their reincarnations.

Arte: One of Gretel's reincarnations. Gretel passed on her appearance and soul to Arte's, and with it she passed on her loyalty to anyone resembling Meta, such as Conchita.

Ney Futapie: One of Gretel's reincarnations. Gretel passed on her soul to Ney, and with it she passed on her loyalty to her mother figures, such as Prim.

Female Servant: One of Gretel's reincarnations. Gretel passed on her appearance and soul to the female Servant, and with it she passed on her loyalty to anyone resembling Meta, such as the Master of the Graveyard.

Riliane Lucifen d'Autriche: One of Gretel's intended reincarnations. Due to the disturbance of fate caused by Abyss I.R. and Prim Marlon, Gretel instead reincarnated as Ney Futapie.

Conceptualization and Origin

 * Gretel is inspired by the character from the Brothers Grimm's tale "Hänsel &amp; Gretel".
 * In the original story, Gretel is depicted as a gluttonous child, strengthening her link with the Demon of Gluttony.
 * Gretel's name derives from German, meaning "pearl" and is a diminutive of the name "Margaret".

Curiosities

 * Similar attire to Gretel is worn by a young Riliane and, to a lesser extent, the female Servant in Evil's Theater.
 * Gretel's reincarnations tend to be more malicious or bloodthirsty compared to her brother's reincarnations.
 * When plotting to kill her foster mother, Gretel's shadow manifested as a physical, shape shifting entity around her.

Gallery
Song Apparitions=