Ari is the villain in the Third Saga of the W.I.T.C.H. comic book series, and later on, part of the supporting cast in later sagas of the same comic book.
Background[]
Ari was a young farmer in the world of Arkhanta. A man of little means, he struggled to make ends meet. His wife, Jamayeda, died giving birth to his son, Maqi, who was born mute and obviously a loner, for he lived in his own little world. Since then, Ari searched incessantly for a way to rid his son of his strange affliction, consulting the land's wisest physicians and scholars, but none could help Maqi, for science could do nothing for the young troubled boy.
Ari had heard stories of how anyone who could capture a banshee would be granted three wishes in exchange for their freedom. Ari caught Yua, the most powerful of the banshees, and would have her help his son. Alas, for all her power, Yua was not able to cure Maqi's illness. Her magic extended only to material wishes, and life and death were powers beyond her capacity. Devastated, Ari instead wished for the Scarlet Citadel, an enormous palace that would serve as their home, and sufficient wealth to satisfy any earthly desire his son could have. Lastly, he wished for the banshee's eternal servitude, and she could not refuse. With Yua's aid, Ari soon became Lord of Arkhanta, doing his best to improve the lot of the common man. Time and time again, Ari made pleas to the Oracle of Kandrakar. But the Oracle reasoned that such matters were not his concern, as they had little impact in the universe as a whole. Disgusted at this, Ari eventually made war on Kandrakar, hoping that the Oracle would reconsider the statement that his pain was of no consequence. This jeopardized the order of the entire world, and so the Guardians were assigned the task to stop Ari at any cost, as even the Oracle said that Ari's power, enhanced with his undying fury and rage, is capable of annihilating Kandrakar.
And the end, the Guardians, with the gelp of Orube, free Yuba, but her, in revenge for the time that she passed as Ari's prisoner, kidnaps Maqi, and also undone all the wishes that Ari made her done with her magic. Ari, seeing the wrong of their points of view, pleads the girls to help him to rescue Maqi. They manage to find Yuba, but in the struggling, Maqi falls from a high height and is badly wounded. The W.I.T.C.H. saved the child by transferring to him the Gift of Xin Jing, a power healing gift that not only heals Maqi but also removes her affliction, turning him into a normal, happy child. Ari, now full of happiness because of his son recovery, becomes a better person and a good ruler for Arkhanta.
Ari latter reappears again in the comic when the Guardians visited Arkhanta as ambassadors of Kandrakar. He and Maqi greets them in the reconstructed Scarlet Fortress (the original one was created with Yuba's magic and obviously disappeared when the banshee fled) and invited the girls to participate in the popular games of his world. In the end he and his son congratulated the W.I.T.C.H. despite their poorly and catastrophic performance in the games.
Gallery[]
