Lumen Sages

The Lumen Sages were a European clan of followers of light and the counterparts of the Umbra Witches. Both recognized as the "overseers of history", the clan was first formed after Aesir bestowed to both the Umbra and Lumen the Eyes of the World out of pity to better mankind. Unlike the witches who used the demons from Inferno, the sages instead used the angels from Laguna.

Due to the events of the Clan Wars, all but one sage were killed until his death in the present time, making the end of the Lumen Sages and marking them extinct to the world.

Formation
The Lumen Sages were one-half of two clans, who worked hard to maintain the balance of the world's light and dark forces in order to ensure the just passage of time after Aesir granted them the Right Eye of Light. They paid great respect to their counterparts, the Umbra Witches who also possessed an "Eye" like them, part of a set which was known as the Eyes of the World that allowed them to oversee time itself.

Clan War & Demise
Five hundred years ago, before modern times, a Lumen Sage named Balder and a Witch named Rosa fell in love and conceived a child. This violated an ancient law stated that "The intersection of light and dark would bring calamity to this earth". Given the two clan's strict rules about their members forming a union such as this, tensions between the two clans from this event sent them down into the spiral of war which would later become the Clan Wars.

Because of the intersection, it was foretold that Jubileus, The Creator, would come forth. Although the Lumen thought to let this event go uninterrupted and wanted to use the Left Eye of Darkness, the Umbra Witches rebelled against the decision and fought one another. The conflict would engulf all of Europe in its wake. Despite the Sages' best efforts with the help of the Laguna, the Umbra Witches assured their victory by laying down secretive assaults in the war. Only one Lumen Sage was known to have survived the war: the exiled Balder.

Death of the Last Sage
Plotting to reclaim the Eyes of the World, Loptr, the evil side of Aesir brought after bestowing the eyes to the clans, and Paradiso deceived the last of the Lumen into spurring the Witch Hunts to squash a "rebellion". Part of their manipulation of Balder, Loptr later pits the Lumen against the future version of his child, Cereza, 500 years later in the future and frames his good side, Loki, for the murder of Rosa. Now called Bayonetta famously, the Umbra Witch and Balder later learn of the plot and battle Loptr. However, although he regains the eyes and reforms to Aesir, the father/daughter duo manages to fend him off and summon Omne after Loki is successful in destroying the Eyes of the World. Although defeated, the God of Chaos plans to heal and be reborn in a different era, Balder quickly sealing the deity within his own body at the expense of it corrupting him and being sent back to his time. Now with a newly changed allegiance, he continues the Witch Hunts and with the Laguna, subjects the remaining Umbra Witches to persecution, and spends his time developing the Ithavoll Group and claiming an economic and political hold on Vigrid. As a result, he kills off most of the remaining Witches. The result leaves only two surviving witches: Bayonetta and Jeanne.

Plotting to resurrect Jubileus by awakening an amnesiac Bayonetta's left eye five hundred and twenty years later. Using the Laguna as pawns to strengthen her power, brainwashing the surviving Jeanne to help her regain her former magical and physical prowess, and bringing back the child version of herself to recover her lost memories of the past his plan proved successful as he resurrects Jubileus as Bayonetta inadvertently changes the course of her own past and awakens her power as the Left Eye. However, not long after, the resurrection is interrupted by Jeanne (no longer brainwashed) and his grievously injured when the Dea crushes him in her eye. After Bayonetta and Jeanne summon Queen Sheba to defeat her and destroy the remainder of his physical body, he spends his last moments congratulating his daughter and keeps Aesir trapped in his body, perishing along with Aesir trapped in his body. After Balder's death, the Right Eye of Light was lost from the world forever and the Lumen Sages are no more.

Appearance
Most prominently, Lumen Sages were males wearing white robes with golden accents that use the sun as a reoccurring motif. The followers of the Laguna in the present day take their inspiration from this. They additionally the use of headwear reminiscent of Catholic clergy and held watches similar to the Umbran Watch on their persons, shaped similarly to the sun instead of a crescent moon.

Relationship with the Laguna
Unlike the Umbra Witches, it is expressed by Hideki Kamiya that the Lumen Sages do not typically have angels fight for them like the Infernal Demons do although an angel can be contracted to a sage and also be summoned by the likes of a Lumen Sage in battle or follow their commands (i.e Balder). However, some sort of fate can await them should a sage meet their demise in which they are seemingly taken to Paradiso. Unlike the Umbra, their fate was more peaceful compared to the Umbra. Just as the Umbra, the Lumen's resting tomb is held somewhere in Crescent Valley. One of their fates is their souls sacrificed to be part of the Worship angel, being considered to be the highest form of bliss for followers of the Laguna.

Reverence
The Lumen revered Jubileus much like the Laguna and held knowledge on other superior beings relating to Paradiso such as Father Rodin and Omne, the Controller of Time.

Relations with the Umbra
Although the two clans once had a harmonious and peaceful relationship, the birth of Cereza and their opposing views on the coming of Jubileus, The Creator, had caused both clans to form a strong hatred for one another. This hatred was so strong that the Lumen, as one of their forms of fighting the Umbra, had violated their resting place of the past and recent deceased witches of that time, flinging their souls into a space-time rift never to be seen again and as well as sealed to prevent their power from returning as part of divine retribution. Such a punishment was used even during the Witch Hunts long after all but one of the Lumen remained.

Attire

 * Divine Robes: Some Lumen Sages bore special robes called "Divine Robes" which was made with special thread capable of warding evil. These robes also came with a mask made to assist in focusing on a singular enemy.
 * Lumen's Watch: A special item similar to an Umbran Watch (which said device keeps an Umbra Witch from physically aging) worn by Lumen Sages on their persons.

Weapons

 * Personal Sage Weapons
 * Holy Glaive: A special glaive used by the sage, Balder. Its special properties include being capable of splitting itself into two swords as well as enlarging in size with magic.
 * Inferno Slayer: A powerful scythe used by the eponymous sage, Inferno Slayer, to kill many demons.

Books

 * Book of Revelation: A book written by a Lumen Sage. The book contained a description of the angel known as Glamor despite not being able to be seen ordinarily in the physical world.

Powers and Abilities
Like their dark counterparts, the Lumen Sages have strong spiritual powers and are capable of communicating with the supernatural entities they have allied themselves with. They can interact with an angel, even the Auditio, and use their power to command them to do their bidding. Similar to the Umbra Witches' Wicked Weaves, Lumen Sages can also summon high ranking angels to attack their enemies by using Enochian chanting, using feathers as a conduit. They also have a technique named Light Speed, a Temporal Control technique that allows them to stop time. and the various transformative techniques of the Beast Within.

List of Lumen Sages

 * Balder
 * Inferno Slayer

Trivia

 * According to Hideki Kamiya, the Lumen Sages have females members within the clan, though he also stated later that females do not become Lumen Sages.
 * The "" is a unit of measurement equal to the total "amount", of visible light emitted from a single candle.
 * The Lumen Sages symbolizes the Yang in Taoism, which represents light, male, white, sun, etc.
 * Parallel to how Umbra Witches are dragged to hell by demonic hands upon their death, Lumen Sages are lift towards heaven by angelic hands, shown during the Tag Climax in Bayonetta 2 whenever Balder is defeated mid-battle.