Sheila Grandsley

Sheila Grandsley (シーラ・グランズドリィ) is the adoptive mother of Lay Grandsley.

Appearance
She has the appearance of a young woman with short light-brown hair. Due to her spiritosis, she appeared transparent, but after being healed, she regained her regular appearance

Personality
Sheila is a kind and compassionate woman who cares deeply about her family. After being abandoned by her father due to being a hybrid, she resolved never to let anyone experience such a thing, as she took in the disowned Lay after he was cast out by his family and raised him like her own flesh and blood.

History
Born as the child of a demon royal and a spirit mother, Sheila was abandoned by her father because of her mixed parentage, something that could tarnish his reputation due to the importance of blood purity to the royal faction. Because of this, she was unable to leave Lay, whom his family left to die in the streets. She took him home and gave him a meal to eat, incurring the fury of the Yvesta family, who threatened her if she ever did it again. However, Sheila didn't kick him out, and the two of them moved to a city where they couldn't reach them.

She raised him like her own son despite having a weak constitution. Because she was a hybrid, her magic power and source began weakening until she developed spiritosis, a condition that half-demons half-spirits face when their legends and rumors become forgotten. The two visited many clinics until they arrived at the Lognorth Magic Hospital, which put her condition into remission, seemingly able to help her. But in exchange for helping Sheila, Lay was forced to join the royal faction against Anos Voldigoad in the Demon Sword Tournament, and let them implant a magical device inside his body.

Demon Sword Tournament Arc
When Anos and Misa visit the clinic, Sheila wakes up for the first time in a long time. Although she seemed to be comatose, she was actually conscious all this time and was able to recognize Anos from the stories Lay told her about. She tells him what she knew about her condition and what she overheard from the doctor, giving the boy a better understanding of her condition. Sheila didn't know how, but a bit of her power returned to her, waking her up. And she uses this chance to tell Anos about Lay and asks him to fight Lay with all he has.

After hearing her out, Anos develops a new magic to help Sheila, allowing Misa to change and transfer parts of her legends to Sheila. At first, her condition got worse, as she couldn't speak anymore and her body began fading away; but she slowly recovered once the traditions settled in. When Lay returns to the clinic, Sheila is able to tell him to live freely and that she will always be by his side, before falling into a deep slumber and leaving Lay in tears.

After Anos and Lay foil his ambush in another dimension, Melheis reveals that he took Sheila hostage; and that by breaking several gems, he can end her existence as a spirit. However, both Anos and Lay tell Melheis that he can kill her, creating enough confusion for Lay to break into the dimension where she was held at. Melheis fires Beno Ievun at Anos, and also toward Lay and his mom to force him to use additional magic power to protect the two. This causes Lay to ask Anos for a sword instead, which he uses to slash away the magic fired upon them, but no matter how much Lay cuts away, it keeps returning.

Lay, who was planning on giving up and entrusting his mom to Anos, is encouraged by Sheila to continue fighting. Sheila then uses all her remaining power to return to her true form, a powerful spirit sword. The two recall the time when Lay sliced a pot with a knife before Lay destroys Beno Ievun using his mother's sword, resulting in Sheila fading away as she tells him that she loves him.

Once the battle was over and they were back in the Arena, Anos reveals that Sheila's spiritosis was cured and he uses Ingall to resurrect her. A few minutes ago, Anos declared in his victory speech that the sword his dad forged using his heart had the power to surpass a demon sword. He deduced from everything that had happened so far that the rumors that formed Sheila's source were — something other than magic residing in a sword that was forged by a true craftsman. With his victory over Lay, people who were spectating the tournament across Dilhade started believing in this, which made Sheila's rumors well known. Sheila thanks Anos and reunites with Lay.

Abilities

 * Spirit Sword Form: Being a half-spirit, Sheila possesses a transient form and a much more powerful true form, which is a spirit sword in her case. The spirit sword is exceptionally sharp and was strong enough to cut Beno Ievun, the very same magic that separated the four races. It was also able to slash through the alternate dimension in Azesith.

Lay Glanzudlii
Because her own father abandoned her as well, Sheila couldn't bring herself to abandon Lay, who was just a child. She then raised him and treated him like her own son, to the point of wanting to die from her spiritosis instead of holding him down. She was overjoyed at being reunited with him after having her spiritosis healed, as she tenderly embraced him.

Anos Voldigoad
Sheila is grateful to Anos for being Lay's friend, as well as being the first person to push Lay to fight seriously, as she saw that Lay was desponded over the fact that he couldn't go all out in a fight due to his immense strength. After he helped heal her spiritosis, she thanked him, as she called him a good person.

Trivia

 * The lore that sustains Sheila's spirit side is — "A sword forged with the heart of a true artisan contains a different kind of power than magic." That is the "power of the heart", and her true form resembles Anos' Adamantine Sword because a spirit's true form embodies its legends and rumors. In the minds of the audience, they had a clear image of what a sword like that should look like, that's why her true form mimicked the appearance of Anos' sword.