Prester John

Prester John was a leader in the Faction military wing.

He approved Octavia's mission to China during the Boxer Rebellion to recover the Jade casket and when things became dire attempted to extract her team of operatives. As he did so, Compassion had tea with him and explained her perspective on what's going on with Octavia and Liu Hui Ying, admitting, as he figures out, that she's placed the two in a time loop, or really a time helix, which sometimes he's a part of, and sometimes he's not, and how this is to power her.

Compassion then implanted false memories within him, which fought against his Faction training.

Previously he had visited China before this, once in the 22nd century, as the Chinese Middle Kingdom had control of all between the heavens and hell, as well as when the Tartar city walls of Beijing were first constructed. (PROSE: Warring States)