Bastien

Bastien (sometimes alternatively spelled as Bastian) is a minor antagonist in the 07 ghost anime and manga series. He was Archbishop Jio's assistant and also personally oversaw the teaching of acolytes (people who were to participate in the Bishop's Apprentice Exam). Frau was his pupil in the past, and Bastien was a father figure to him.

Ironically, Bastien is later revealed to be a spy working under Ayanami, and was killed by Frau in his Ghost form for his crime of using black magic to kill numerous murderers and other criminals who sought sanctuary at the Church. After his funeral, it is implied that he was reincarnated as an Evie Tree and planted in the church's garden.

Etymology
His name could be a variant of the English name Sebastien/Sebastian, or a play on the English word 'bastion', which means something along the lines of 'defensive stronghold'.

Physical appearance
Bastien is presumably in his thirties or forties, as he looked to be in his twenties or thirties when Frau was a child. He is quite tall, only being a little shorter than Frau, who is 190 cm, which puts him roughly at a height of 185 cm, and has a slim build. Bastien has a long face with very pale skin, a long, thin nose, a large mouth and thin lips. He has narrowed eyes, that appear either gray or a dirty-brown in color and small wrinkles around them showing his age. Bastien has short, straight, grayish-black hair that is parted in the middle with several of the bangs falling over his face.

Clothing
Bastien is always seen in his church clothes, which consist of a dark blue cassock with white trimming on the collar, under a long white outer cassock that hides his arms. The cassock is held together with a loose belt and a large, silver, rectangular brooch emblazoned with the carving of a cross. Bastien's clothing is slightly different from that of the other Bishops' as he wears a thick, blue leather belt round his shoulders and he does not wear the miter and veil (the 'hat' that the Bishops wear).

When carrying out his plan to kill Aldo, he dressed in a hooded cloak and wore the hood up to conceal his identity.

Personality
Bastien comes across as an extremely gentle person comparable to Labrador in that he is kind, caring and always willing to give support or advice to other less experienced Bishops or Acolytes, such as when he offers Teito advice when his Zaiphon fails instead of mocking him like the others. He has had this attitude for a long time as he refused to give up on Frau despite the latter being an ill-mannered child.

He is quiet and friendly to those younger than himself, and seems to be rarely angered. When Teito destroyed the practice hall with his Zaiphon, he praises him instead of shouting, and puts him at ease about the broken Baculus by assuring him Frau broke many.

However a much darker side of him is shown later in the series, and it's revealed that Bastien struggles to forgive. Bastien strongly believes in 'an eye for an eye', and this was shown by his attempts to murder criminals living within the Church as he did not think it just how they could live in safety while their victims (some of them dead) could not. He is also revealed to be a Barsburg nationalist, who believes that protecting Barsburg is the ultimate priority.

He sees God as being unforgiving and merciless, and his belief in this is so strong that he commanded Zehel to kill him, as a God must "not hesitate" when punishing others.

Superiors
Jio: It is unknown how long Bastien has been working for Archbishop, but he appears to respect and care for him, as he is seen making tea for him, and worrying about the Archbishop's blood pressure. Bastien seemed concerned with how the Archbishop thought of him, as he wrote a confession letter to the Archbishop begging for forgiveness.

Ayanami: Bastien told Teito and Hakuren that his loyalty to Ayanami-sama is absolute. It is possible that Bastien was once one of Ayanami's subordinates. Ayanami smiles when saying Bastien's loyalty to the Barsburg is absolute, suggesting Bastien was a close subordinate of his, for Ayanami to be able to speak so fondly of him.

Frau
"A naughty child who wasn't suited to be a clergyman."

- Bastien

Bastien describes Frau as a 'naughty child' who was always getting into trouble. During Frau's early years at the Church, Bastien would punish Frau whenever he misbehaved and didn't believe he was suited for priesthood.

However, while others thought Frau was a bad child, Bastien believed that Frau's actions were a cry for help from a child whom could not find sanctuary. Bastien took pity on Frau and tried to steer him on the path of righteousness, despite the resistance he met, and believed Frau's gift was sent from God. He saw it as his duty to take Frau under his wing and train him to become a Bishop, and he helped to remind Frau what prayer and God was about, restoring some of the faith in God Frau had previously lost. Bastien was always very proud of Frau, and he promised that he will stay by his side forever after leaning of his skill when handling Kor.

He adored Frau and regarded him as the most important person in his life.

Bastien acts as a father-figure to Frau, having raised him as a child, and even though Frau is an adult, Bastien still treats him like a child, calling him a 'naughty boy', and sometimes disciplines Frau by hitting him when he does things he is not supposed to be doing. However, Bastien also sought to strengthen Frau's faith and cheer him up. When Frau was imprisoned, Bastien visited his cell and attempted to lighten the mood by making jokes.

When Frau was imprisoned, Bastien was reluctant to believe he was a Warsfeil, and was eager to prove his innocence.

"I wanted to become a good father for that child..."

- Bastien's last words.

Frau's significance to Bastien is shown when Teito is able to cause Bastien to change his dark ways by simply pleading with him to stay with Frau. Frau, in return, was also unwilling to kill Bastien and only did so after the latter reminded him that gods were not meant to hesitate. After his death, Bastien was reincarnated as an Evie Tree in the Church, so he could stay by his disciple's side.

Others
Mikhail

Mikhail disliked Bastien and was willing to kill him for hurting Teito, but unwillingly relented when Teito asked him (Mikhail) not to harm Bastien. When Frau arrived to rescue Teito, Mikhail stood aside and watched as Frau killed Bastien.

Teito Klein and Hakuren Oak

Bastien was kind and helpful towards Teito and Hakuren at first, and the two boys both respected Bastien. Teito and Hakuren were both shocked when they discovered Bastien's crimes. Bastien did not hesitate to attack them when they confronted him, and was determined to bring Teito back to the military but did express he regretted having to be rough with Teito, despite showing no hesitation or reference to Hakuren, showing his kindness towards Hakuren may have been an act but he did feel some fondness towards Teito. However, Teito was unwilling to hurt Bastien, instead pleading with him to stay with Frau.

Both Teito and Hakuren did not attend Bastien's funeral, because Teito was still recovering at the time and Hakuren was looking after him. Teito was present when Labrador presented Frau with Bastien's reincarnation.

Zaiphon
Healing Zaiphon: Bastien has a healing Zaiphon, at which he is extremely proficient.

Bastien shows such precision and skill with his Zaiphon that he is able to remove a Kor in a manner that leaves the patient fully unharmed. He is a specialist at handling healing-based Baculus which allows the wielder to exorcise a Kor in a manner that simply binds as opposed to destroying it.

Baculus: Bastien is an expert at healing-based Baculus. He was shown to be powerful enough with his Baculus to block an attack launched by Mikhail that destroyed a portion of the area around him.

Forbidden arts
Despite the ban on practising dark magic, Bastien is extremely skilled at the forbidden arts.

History
Very little is known about Bastien's life before the Church, such as if he was raised there as a child, or if he came there as an adult. However, as he was working at the Church when Frau arrived, he must have been there for at least ten years.

Ayanami's Intelligence Unit
It is unknown when exactly Bastien became a member of Ayanami's intelligence unit, but Bastien himself has said it has been a long time.

Early years at the Church
Bastien appears to have been a teacher at his early years at the Church, and Frau appeared to be one of his pupils. One day, Bastien was approached by a woman with a child that told him of a young Bishop that removed the Kor from her son's chest as he slept. Attempting to find this "little Bishop", Bastien caught Frau sneaking out of the Church with a Baculus and realised Frau was the child who had been helping those possessed by Kor. Impressed with Frau's skill, Bastien vowed to stay by his side and teach him how to be a Bishop.

At some point in time, he became the assistant archbishop after the previous holders of the position retired.

Bishop's Apprentice exam
Bastien is first seen healing a woman who had been tainted by a Kor observed by several Bishops and Acolytes. He does so in a way that leaves the victim unharmed, which impresses everyone watching.

During a Baculus training session Bastien appears before Teito where he advises him to try operating a Bascule while filling his heart with the desire to serve God. When Teito breaks the Bascule, Bastien states that the Bascule once belonged to Frau and that he need not worry about breaking it as Frau use to break many Bascules when training.

Wars Attacks
Bastien is next seen scolding Frau for bringing adult magazines into the Church library, only to find much more in his pocket, much to his anger, decides to confiscate them. Regarding the recent murder of the former criminal Aldo whom had sought salvation at the Church, Teito asks whether the Seven Ghosts would kill Aldo in which Bastien states that although he cannot condone the culprits actions, Aldo was doomed as God does not forgive evil and that the only way for him to truly atone is to die.

Frau's arrest
"Please! He's not the sort of person who would do this!"

- Bastien

As Frau is arrested Bastien arrives and pleads his innocence. His words are ignored and he is told to explain the situation to Jio.

Investigation
Subsequent to Frau's arrest, Bastien returns to the scene of the incident where he is met by Teito and Hakuren. When confronted by Teito, Bastien reveals that he is here to save his beloved pupil. An intrigued Teito then asks what Frau was like as a child which Bastien responds, "he was a naughty boy unsuited to become a clergyman." Bastien then begins to tell the story of how he met Frau after the Raggs War had ended. It is then learned that somebody had been leaving the Church grounds at night to heal Kor victims which was discovered to be Frau, prompting Bastien to promise he will always be at Frau's side upon learning this.

The story is interrupted by one of his guards and Bastien asks Teito not to tell Frau about the story he just told, Teito agreeing. Bastien is next seen visiting the cell of Frau and assuring him that he will get him out of prison soon. He then touches the head of Frau saying the words "May God be with you."

Death
Bastien is discovered by Teito and Hakuren after they learn that their Bascules have been tainted with darkness. He then reveals himself as a spy and says he is to capture Teito in the name of the Barsburg empire where he is to be executed for treason.

"If there is something you view as more important than this empire, then you do not deserve the right to wield the Eye of Mikhail."

- Bastien

Bastien then subdues Hakuren and takes him hostage. Teito charges at Bastien, only to be swallowed by darkness, but then the Eye of Mikhail awakens, destroying the darkness around him. Mikhail attacks Bastien, gravely injuring him. Bastien then attacks a distracted Teito and begins to consume him with darkness. Teito begs Bastien not to forsake Frau which stops him with the vision of a young Frau being pierced.

After this, Zehel (one of the Seven Ghosts who is Frau) appears onto the scene. Frau questions the reason behind Bastien's actions, and Bastien replies he could not forgive the criminals that sought sanctuary at the Church while the innocent people whom have lost their loved ones find none: he killed the criminals in order to punish them for their crimes.

The Wars within Bastien starts to become hostile, and Bastien begins to realise the crimes he has committed. Saying one last goodbye to Frau, he commands the God to kill him, saying that a god must not hesitate. Frau euthanizes him.

"Archbishop Jio, by the time this letter reaches you, I will no longer be here. Please find a way to forgive me. I buried the criminals who are enemies of the Empire in darkness. They pitifully wished to escape from their feelings of guilt, unwilling to ever face their own sins, unprepared to be burdened their whole lives. Their crimes... their suffering... I took all of it..."

- Bastien's confession

Bastien's body is discovered by the Imperial guard, and Archbishop Jio receives a letter of confession from him. He is buried in the Church cemetery.

Reincarnation
Bastien is hinted to have been reincarnated when Labrador brings a young Evie Tree to Frau, stating that he (Frau) knows the color of this soul well. Frau in turn replies "I have to plant this in the sunniest part of the garden."

Quotes

 * "There is no divine protection of God." (written in Aldo's blood)