Ghosthunter:Kate Heller

Kate Heller is a character in Ghosthunter. She is called Astral by Lazarus Jones upon finding out she resides within his body, giving him his supranormal sight.

Early Life
Kate Heller worked alongside Professor Richmond in the Military Base, helping him with his research for the government.

At some point, her soul was separated from her body during experiments and she gained the ability to fuse with living people. She did so with Richmond during his time as a Ghosthunter, giving him the ability of supranormal sight.

Ghosthunter
Kate is released from the Array along with the other ghosts when Lazarus Jones arrives in the basement of Montsaye High School and activates the machine. She locates him and immediately fuses with his body, which offers him the gift of supranormal sight.

Appearance
Kate is a caucasian woman with long blonde hair. When working with Richmond, her clothing consisted of a lab coat with dark details, trousers and black shoes. As “Astral”, her body appears translucent and she also has glowing white eyes. She wears an off the shoulder white dress that reaches to her knees and walks barefoot. Blue glowing energy flows from her form, although the colour changes depending on what ghostly ability she is using at the time.

Abilities
As “Astral”, she is capable of fusing with people. This allows her to also separate from their bodies so she can freely move around. She can also absorb the abilities of other ghosts, such as Revenants, Poltergeists, Daughters of Oakville, Howlers and Devil's Scar Guards.

Revenant Ability
"“Astral takes solid form. She is able to use small objects and is affected by gravity.”"

Gained in Montsaye High School by capturing three Revenants.

Charming Ability
"“Astral lures nearby howlers, making them follow her.”"

Gained in Oakville by capturing one Howler.

Spectral Ability
"“Allows Astral to pass through slime patches on walls.”"

Gained in Oakville by capturing five Daughters of Oakville.

Poltergeist Ability
"“Astral can blast weak objects apart when positioned close by.”"

Gained in the New School by capturing seven Poltergeists.

Possession Ability
"“Astral is able to take control of other ghosts, moving them around and using their abilities.”"

Gained in Devil’s Scar Penitentiary by capturing Prison Guards.

Etymology
Kate is a diminutive of Katherine. Katherine comes from the Greek Αἰκατερίνη (Aikaterine). The etymology is unknown, but could derive from an earlier Greek name Ἑκατερινη (Hekaterine), itself from ἑκάτερος (hekateros) meaning "each of the two". It could also derive from the goddess Hecate, who presided over magic and spells, and was associated with keeping away evil spirits. Heller is a Bavarian surname used to describe people who lived in the Swabian town of Hall. Astral comes from the late Latin “astralis”, from “astrum”, meaning star.

Trivia

 * Astral’s final appearance differs greatly from her concept art.