A Tale of Three Brothers

Prologue

Tell me . . . How tragic was your past?

Perhaps your father was a drunk. Or maybe your mother was more preoccupied with another one of your siblings to pay any mind to you. Perhaps you were hated; not just by other people, but by your own family, as well.

I'll tell you now that no one's tale is as sad as the one that I'm about to tell you. It may have happened centuries ago, but the memories are as fresh as if they'd happened only yesterday.

This is the story of my two brothers and me. Before we faced our first deaths, and before our rivalry tore us apart, all we had was each other. But I suppose, even back then, we never really got along.

I have gone by many names since becoming a demon, though the name given to me by my previous master has now been permanently etched into my being. It is a mark of my existence and my betrayal. It's been branded on me, and that's something I'll never be cleared of.

My name is Claude Faustus. Perhaps you've heard of me, but this story isn't so much about me as it is about my one of my brothers; a certain raven demon. But this isn't how things always were. Oh, no.

We used to be just like everyone else living in the human realm. We were ordinary humans with a very . . . dysfunctional family life, but I never realized it until it was too late. The damage had already been done, and I now know that nothing I do will ever be payment enough for those that I have hurt.

But as I said, this story isn't about me. It's about my younger brother, who bears a brand as permanent as my own. Freak, monster, outcast, demon; these things, with pain, sadness, despair, and anger, have manifested themselves into the demon that goes by the name Sebastian Michaelis.

So I'll ask but once more.

How tragic was your past?

Sit down, take a seat, listen to our story, and realize that things aren't so bad after all. Because once day, you're going to die, and the demons that you die with will follow you into eternity.