2.trials of the outcast

Salute, you'd know me as Caleb, and with the time I have left, I'm writing my views as a traitor in hopes that the next one reading this will start fighting back. 'Let me start from the beginning,

In 1945, as the world was consumed by the devastation of World War II, another, darker war unfolded in secret. A supernatural scourge-something ancient and malevolent-bled through from the other side of reality, spreading across the land like a curse. Europe suffered the worst of it.

This hidden horror was unleashed by the Nazi Deathknights, a force that blurred the line between war and the occult. In response, the Vatican formed a covert division of warlocks, Hunters, and exorcists-an unseen army tasked with pushing back the darkness. They became a fragile beacon of hope in a world already on the brink of collapse, using blades and steampunk machinery as an alternative to the future tech of today.

Far from the front lines, in the city of Florence, a quiet home became the center of something far more dangerous than anyone could have imagined. A growing, oppressive presence settled over the household of twins, Selena and Ciaran, as if something unseen had taken notice of them.

As the war intensified, the twins found themselves caught between two forces: one seeking to preserve what was left of humanity, and the other intent on tearing it apart. Around them, the world bled. Lives were lost endlessly, flickering out like match flames in the night.

Until the day everything changed.

A young girl appeared at their doorstep-frightened, alone, and far from ordinary. She was a fox demon from Egypt, fleeing the chaos of both war and something far worse. The twins took her in without hesitation, promising to protect her. To keep her identity hidden, they gave her a new name: Kali. Her true name, Kaliya Amber, was buried along with the life she once knew.

Together, they taught her how to survive-to blend in, to stay unseen, to endure.

For a time, it worked.

Then the war found them.

In a single, devastating moment, their parents were taken from them-lost to the destruction that now reached even the places once thought safe. It was the first harsh truth they learned: everything comes at a cost.

Left alone, the twins clung to each other. Ciaran stepped into the role of protector, determined to keep what remained of his family together in a world that offered no mercy. Eventually, they were taken into an orphanage, where survival meant becoming something stronger, harder. Reinventing themselves, they became I Became Caleb and my sister became Setsuna-names that would keep us hidden from those now searching for us.

There, we found others like ourselves.

Judas and Sarah.

Not just fellow orphans, but something more-something like family.

And in a world ruled by war, loss, and darkness, that meant everything.

Now, how did I get involved? I went from tagging up my city and stealing what I could from people on the street to leaning into academics, opening my mind to strategies and the history of civilizations, which has taught me that fighting is about resources, alliances, contracts, but also brute force, luck, and an undeniable determination. I took my skill sets and trained as an Aesir warrior, learning the blade and the conviction to cut my enemies' throats, and not blink, and yet somehow my path has driven me against the Vatican.

A powerful Italian family disappeared overnight when their vehicle exploded with the parents inside. The children escaped before their enemies could come to wipe them out. They became orphaned triplets and met an a boy a few years older during this journey - Judas Lastra.

I had to train against a slew of nightmarish creatures. There was a mad children-eating butcher, a girl obsessed with the devil who was a sex-crazed black widow, a house that had Medusa's Gaze and nearly turned me to stone, and lastly an island with mountains of corpses and rivers of blood. I wasn't even sure I was still alive, as it looked like Hell on Earth.

I wanted to throw hands. I wanted to bang. So, Judas locked me in a library, where I only had my own thoughts and tomes of knowledge. I was hellbent on destroying everything, but eventually came to my senses and started reading the material I had initially disregarded. When I would emerge from the library nd loslose temper, Judas insisted I retreat and quell my thirst with knowledge instead. After time, I realized I had gravitated to certain manuscripts and had been establishing the powers of a Warlock, which became the center of ffocus forme. I indulged in dark spells and rituals until it was second nature, and I began documenting my own notes. I did not let my physical gifts depart. I honed the blade as I learned the magic. They gave me a new moniker; they call me the Prodigal Son.