Maaya

Maaya [ˈmejə] is a recurring character in the Zaun Ajma series and the main protagonist of some of the upcoming novels. She becomes a zaun ajma as a young warrior by the selection of the Wistanian government.

Physical Description
Maaya is described as a strong young woman with straight, black hair parted perfectly in the middle. She carries a longsword strapped to her back almost everywhere she goes.

Biography
Maaya appears in the prologue of Lingon and the First Survivor where it is revealed that she is transgender and that at some point before her transition, she sought temporary shelter in the secluded town of Jamid, saying that she was "young, vulnerable, and in danger." Otherwise, not much has been described yet about her early life.

During First Survivor, she is eighteen years old and already a leader of the army in her home city of Dazal as well as a zaun ajma. From the prologue, it's suggested that she was hiding in Jamid only about two years before becoming a zaun ajma. Later in the novel, she tells Lingon that she became a zaun ajma after competing with nine other candidates for the honor. After she won the competitions, she spent three days with the stone of the Ajma of Knowledge, three days suffering hallucinations in a locked room, then (once recovered) used her power to collect information from the Minsans. It is also suggested throughout First Survivor that she feels at least partially responsible for the destruction of The Sanctuary and The Flare, claiming that she had made mistakes that could have led to those events happening. Wanara, the previous leader of Dazal turned zaun ajma, is described as Maaya's "almost-father" who she reported to directly.

Personality and Traits
Maaya is portrayed as a straight talker who takes no nonsense and is often falsely perceived as rude or stubborn. It is common for her to quickly ignore questions and deny requests if she feels they aren't essential at that exact time, especially around strangers and Minsans. Her attitude toward Lingon and the Minsans in general is extremely negative, but she is very agreeable and trusting toward other Wistanians and respectful toward those in authority over her. Although she is often scared and confused, she is motivated by a strong sense of duty and purpose that push her through any conflict.

Powers and Abilities
Maaya has the unique ability to "read" knowledge from the people around her without necessarily seeing their memories. This allows her to acquire and retain information with extreme speed, reporting that she learned to speak the Minsan language in less than three seconds. However, her knowledge is limited to the knowledge of the people she's been around, and she cannot read zaun ajmas. She also sees visions, but only of the past and present. Like all zaun ajma she has the ability to convert her body's strength to create energy in the form of light, heat, and telekinesis.