(A/n: While writing this chapter, I felt like this one should be its own chapter instead of writing a chapter about his childhood as of yet, which should be the next chapter. I want to give the parents a bit more depth and introduce another character.)
{Location: Unkown Part Of Nevada Mountains}
(POV: Baby Tristan; 1st point of view.)
I believe I am quite literally in a world of magic at this point, well sh*t... But because I am in what looks like a modern house, this should be a modern world, too. Well, I mean with magic also, as in what I just saw in front of me with my... magical parents; I know only jack sh*t about this world too, welp that means I'm entirely boned... and trying to remember my past life, it still feels so vivid to me. Yet, I can't even begin to reach for it without breaking down emotionally. I can only get bits and pieces of it, and even then... looking in front of me, I see such a warm sight of them arguing over something; it makes me want to ignore that past life nonsense for now, but stupid baby ears make it difficult to listen to them. I swear, though, I just heard them say something about f*cking Jupiter!?!? And why the hell is their clothing torn apart? If they teleported to Jupiter, then why did they go there in the first place?!?!
Oh crap! They finally spotted me!?!?!?! Come on, me, try to act normal... As I tried to do just that, my father limped towards me, and when he got close enough, he- cradled me; it felt weird being cradled, but I couldn't really argue, as I was just born again, and we both stared at each other for what felt like forever. Quite honestly, his eyes made me feel like I couldn't hide anything from him, but even then, his eyes showed no calculative planning but pride and love that felt familiar to me.
(A/n: Julius only made guesses about Tristan, and his instincts are extremely sharp. Also, reincarnation isn't anything special in WOD; most of the time, it isn't about body snatching, except for changelings and a few other mage types; even experienced mages know of it, but it was weird for any being not to have fate. What assured Julius of his guesses would be Tristan's eyes, so Julius did not use anything but his instincts, and Dahlia will be led to a similar conclusion. For those who don't like other people knowing that reincarnation secret, they will keep it in their graves. I mean, what true parent wouldn't do anything for their children? I feel like a villain who listened to too much Phonka Slaughterhouse.😔)
Suddenly, another voice popped up next to me, and that voice was my mother... Now that I had a good look at her, she looked pretty young, with platinum blonde hair and light blue eyes, almost like sharpened pupils. She wore a torn blue dress; as she looked at me, I saw a softened smile across her face... I love this feeling; I want to keep this moment forever.
(POV: Back To The Parents)
They both gazed at their child, smiling at them both, and Tristan's smile gave them another reason not to give him away because of their soon demise for this moment. Tristan spoke with a warm tone to Dahlia. "Alright, I'm gonna see what I can do with everything we stole from that store." He slowly gave Tristan to Dahlia and left to arrange everything.
Dahlia, who held on to Tristan, began lovingly talking to him. "Ahhhhh!?!?!?!? Aren't you just an adorable little bugger, ain'tcha!?!?!?" And as her rant began, she was soon surprised when their child began to laugh and smile.
"*HEHEEHEHEHEHEH!!!!*" and with that surprise, as usually, a child wouldn't start smiling till around eight weeks old, and then full-on laughing will take till four months. Their child was doing this within a time, with Julius and her arguing for a couple of hours at least. This child, at the moment, was extraordinary. She may know a bit about reincarnation, but this type, even for her, was unique as it generally washes the entire soul for humans. Still, even without seeing this child's soul, it was probably mutated in ways that should seem alien. With this idea, she wanted to protect this child at all costs. And to truly get to know all of him.
(A/n: Arguing seemed like an understatement between the both of you going at each other's throats... And don't worry about Tristan physically growing up quickly; that isn't going to happen.)
{twenty-five minutes later of playing around with little Tristan}
"Alright, my little munchkin! Your mommy wants to go ahead and check on your father and see if he messed up spectacularly with what he's doing... Let's check up on him together..." She kissed Tristan on the forehead, holding him in her arms as the baby smiled with joy.
(3rd POV: Julius Akvash)
Julius, the ever-focused father, moved to the back of the house. He started his project of creating a separate building for all the supplies they ransacked from the store on Jupiter. His first idea was to use his magic for help [Arise My fallen spirit of the Unseen Guardians, and heed my call as you take form once more ᑢᗩᒪᓰᘿᒪ]. As those words took form, it created a dimensional tear, and what came out of that tear was a humanoid creature with glowing yellow eyes, greyish scale-like armor covering its body up to down, dark purple skin, adorned with two black horns, sharp claws that could tear limbs apart like butter. This creature was once a follower of God but has since fallen from grace.
"Oh, it's you again, human; what do you need of me." This creature was a fallen angel of the Asharu, called initially the Elohim, who ruled over wind and movement but also carried one unique tool no other Elohim had: the Breath of Life. But they were sadly cursed to watch what they protected die, as initially, humanity was immortal. And this fallen seemed to have become annoyed when seeing this human's face again. Julius smirked and started rambling on.
"Well, you see, Caliel, I need your help building something to keep all of my supplies in one place, and because you are my only Guardian Angel, I just thought you could help..." Julius did his best to ask(extort) his original fallen guardian Angel for his help. And the Fallen Angel stared at this d*mnedable human for a bit before saying to Julius.
"I'm guessing you brought me here for another reason other than helping you build something menial, Julius. As I can literally smell the stench of your life expectancy down by ten years along with that twisted fate of yours." The Angel's guess hit home to Julius, as he couldn't deflect anything else.
"*Ha!!*... *sigh* I guess I don't need to try hiding that secret at all from you... I just wanted to ask if you could help in any way to prolong it; I know that you can't do it forever, like before the fall, but just enough to let my wife and I see him grow up... This fate, from the looks of it, seems indisputable..." For the first time in a while, Julius seemed vulnerable in front of Caliel... And wheels started spinning within the Angel's mind, processing what he said.
"You!?! Have a child, Julius?!?!" The following answer Caliel was given will make him want to drink as much whiskey as he could if he were to possess a physical body. Julius gave a heartwarming smile that made the Angel emotionally ache.
"Oh well, yes, I do!! Dahlia and I have had our first and only child! As a matter of fact!! He was just born a couple of hours ago!" The Fallen Angel wanted to slam this human into a bloody paste, but all Caliel did was cover both of his hands on his face while groaning in frustration.
"Julius... Let me tell you just how screwed you are here... This Destiny you and your wife were forced upon... Its barbarity can only be compared to FUCKING CAINES CURSE JULIUS!! I MEAN, WHO THE F*CK DID YOU P*SS OFF THIS BADLY!!! WHAT MAKES IT EVEN WORSE IS THAT UNLIKE HAVING TO LIVE FOREVER, YOU CEASE TO EXIST!!!" Caliel made it painfully clear as if it was the Angel's first time having a complete outburst. Julius gave the Fallen Angel a melancholic smile before turning it into an upbeat grin.
"Ahhhhh!!!~ it makes me happy to see a guardian angel mad for my little boy, huh? We will talk more about this after you help me build my little project, alright? You have a quick timer on you as of now." Caliel didn't know what else to think and did just that.
{16 minutes later}
Both Julius and Caliel stood together, looking at what they had built; it was a huge storage house decently far away from the main house; it was painted white and black, and underneath that storage house was a secret man cave hidden away from his wife so that he could drink with safety from her wrath... But if she were ever to find out, then her carnage would be quick and painful.
"Well, now that was quick, huh, Caliel?" Julius gazed upon the work that was done, wondering why he hadn't asked of him for more of this in the past. At the same time, Caliel closed his eyes while crossing his arms and said to Julius.
"Frankly, Julius, this Destiny you and your wife are trapped in is a nasty one... And I also don't condone at all what you're doing either with keeping your child with you... But I do understand the sentiment... The both of you want to spend as much time as you can with him, and I can't really be mad at that; the only thing I'm worried about would be the child himself. He will see both of you as his primary pillars as you take care of him long enough, and you will have to leave him someday. When are you going to let another family take care of him?" The answer that Caliel got will bring him close to an aneurysm
"Oh... I mean, my wife and I really wanted to milk our time into spending it with our boy so that we would wait till his tenth birthday. I know this doesn't seem good, but we already found a few people who would take care of him, so-" Before Julius could explain, the Angel started having a meltdown.
"NOOOOO!!!!! WHY JULIUS WHY!!!! THAT'S PROBABLY THE EXACT TIME WHEN YOU F*CKING EXPIRE!!!! WHY THE HELL DO YOU WANT TO GIVE YOUR CHILD FREAKING PTSD!!!" After Caliel was done with his breakdown, Julius gave him a brief, gloomy smile before returning to an upbeat grin.
"Ahhhh!~ it's nice to see someone care for my little Tristan, but honestly, Caliel, I also hate the idea of the fact that I know I'm doing something completely wrong. But all I am trying to rely on are mostly my instincts and my own Avatar directing me for Tristan's sake, too...
You see, Caliel, my son has something that hasn't even begun to awaken in himself, and I don't even need any fancy observation magic to see that at all. And I'm deeply afraid for him as well because he will need a certain push to awaken what is hiding within him, and I wouldn't say I like the fact that me and her were going to use ourselves to bring it out early." Caliel couldn't believe what Julius was saying, but he still had more. And this time, he was a bit gloomy with his smile.
"And really, giving Tristan off to a normal family can be a mistake, too, as by all accounts, as long as you are a normal human in this world we live in, trouble won't be coming for you, and my little boy isn't normal at all, he has something special, and it isn't because of him being a mage, as every human can be a mage. That thing that makes him special can be either the end of himself or for others around him, and he needs that so that he is a tiny bit Safer and realizes that this world isn't safe at all, and I would rather not give him off to a mage of all things when they see that there is a child that is fateless. there's only been a few mages that I could completely trust, but in the end, me and Dahlia would rather be selfish and take care of Tristan with what little time we have." Caliel paused for a bit, then asked Julius.
(A/n: it takes more than just believing that the world isn't normal to become a mage, as there are those lunatics known as hunters who fight the supernatural as normal humans. To become a mage depends on the person's psyche. And sadly, for Tristan to truly awaken, he needs something traumatic to wake up. And Julius is banking on that fact, too, sadly.)
"How is your child even special- WAIT... Did you say that your child was fateless?" Julius only smirked at the Angel, making him frustrated finally; after his frustration started to peak, Julius replied.
"Yep, and that was all I could find because everything else was incredibly hidden, including his soul... But sadly, whatever is hiding, my son felt incomplete to me, and that is why I want him to awaken early, even if I and my wife were to use ourselves." Caliel was still skeptical about the newborn but didn't say anything. Julius still spoke in the tone of an old friend.
"But hey, this will probably be the last time that I could probably see you again... Even though the last time I summoned you wasn't really the best way to introduce each other, let's go inside and have our last drink together!!" Caliel conveyed his melancholic gaze and gave a long sigh before telling Julius something.
(A/n: He can't summon him again until fifteen years, basically like a cooldown)
"Julius, we both know that I will be the only summon that won't be hostile towards you, and you basically wasted your chance of summoning me again at your time of need, but... I have something that can be considered a last resort for you; this power will be engraved to you as a mark...
You probably have quite a few more last resorts on you anyway, but this mark will temporarily transform a human into a Nephilim, but only by blood so that your Avatar won't break and become cursed like the vampires. You will gain immense power, but you will die though if you were to use it." Caliel slowly reached his hand to Julius's shoulder, and when his hand was on the shoulder, the process began immediately, and the spider-wedged mark was made. The Angel gave a teary smile and immediately followed behind Julius to the storage house.
While sitting down on the newly made chairs created by Julius, there was a long, tranquil silence between both of them. They took their time enjoying London dry gin together. And after that long silence, one of them spoke up.
"Hey Julius, can I see that child of yours for myself... You technically put a massive target on my back with this information if it were to get out somewhere, and if the other Fallen Angels knew, I kept this info away from my clan... The least you can do is let me see him." Julius smiled and pointed out to Caliel while humming.
"Hmmmmm~ I don't think you'll have to worry. Both Dahlia and little Tristan will be here at any moment, and that's when you can see him for yourself." The Fallen Angel was in a moment of euphoria, as he had never seen a human child in so long, and his memories from the past dampened that feeling of joy when he failed to save a similar child he took care of, albeit she was a few years older. Now forever gone.
(POV: Tristan Devroop Akvash)
While being carried around by my new mother, I felt completely lost. Now, being reincarnated into an entirely different world is starting to set in for me, and the only thing keeping me sane is the fact I am with my new parents. Which feels hauntingly familiar to me, probably because of my past life, but still, it seems like as long as they're with me, then everything will be fine... I now have abandonment issues... Well sh*t... And then I heard my mother's voice. But sadly, it sounded like she was speaking Latin. And she started yelling like a banshee on coc*ine while walking outside in the cold.... My life is weird.
(POV: Dahlia Akvash)
"Here we are, my little Munchkin~ we are now going to see your da-" I immediately stopped in my tracks when I made it to the back door and saw something through the glass window of the door I should've expected; he made a huge storage unit and made he it look like a freaking house.
"Oh- my- God... *sigh* ok Julius, you win this time... you win." I didn't say anything else and went to find Julius, who was probably drinking something at this point; well, at least he was not trying to consume all of the weed in the basement. So, with little Tristan in my arms, I started yelling toward the storage unit house.
"HELLO DARLING!!! CAN YOU GET YOUR ASS OUT OF THERE BEFORE I MAKE YOU!!!" I yelled out to the house, waiting till he got out.
(POV: Back to Julius and his old friend)
Hearing his wife yelling, Julius smiled and told Caliel, "Well, here's your chance to see my little Tristan." Caliel didn't say anything at that point and stood up from his chair.
"Let's get going, Julius. Before she actually does something, You might regret waiting in here if you were to really anger her anymore." Julius felt exasperated for a bit, then used a bigger part of his brain to listen to Caliel as he downed the last of his dry gin.
"... Fine... I'd rather not get my head chewed off at this moment.... follow me." Begrudgingly, he left with Caliel following behind.
And just outside was Dahlia, and with her was Tristan. Dahlia looked at Julius, then looked at the surprising guest. "WAIT!?!?! Is that you, Caliel? I'll be damned!! Did Julius summon you for unpaid services? Don't worry. We will pay you for your services." Julius was mentally smacked in the face by that comment and felt hurt. Caliel ignored the grieving Julius and answered Dahlia with sincerity.
"You needn't worry, Mrs. Akvash, if there is something I want, then... can I carry your child for about fifteen seconds." Dahlia looked into Caliel's eyes for anything, and then she shook her head.
"Sure you can, Caliel, but fifteen seconds only, though. And after your summoning wears off, I'll have to talk to Julius again..." Even though Dahlia was a bit agitated, she knew that Caliel could be trusted because of their past when they all worked together to cause war crimes in Arcadia while Arcadia was weak. They all had their reasons for going there; both were xenophobic towards the fae for different reasons, while Julius was dragged with them to their mayhem.
Carefully, Caliel carried the little boy, and oddly enough, Julius was right about Tristan; a child without a fate is an oddity in itself... But carrying this child, there was something else about this child, and it reminded him of Abel, as innocent as one can be. Still, unlike Abel, this child held a sense of wisdom to it, similar to Lilith, but unlike those two, his eyes were the most striking to him... The child looked completely lost; for the first time in a while, Caliel decided to do something to help the child, even though he wouldn't be able to use It until he became much older. He still decided that this child would be his future obligation if he were to ask of it, and finally, he gave Tristan back to Dahlia after fifteen seconds. And Caliel said with sincerity.
"Dahlia... I want to do something that may help you after ten years... here is this necklace for your son to wear as a birthday gift, and this can be used as a projection for the both of you to transmit your presence into it after you direct the child away from your end. From the looks of it, the both of you are trying to go out with a blaze of glory... As expected from both of you, I don't know if this will be enough-" Dahlia interrupted Caliel.
"Caliel!!! This should be more than enough!! Honestly, it feels like we're asking for too much!!!" Caliel shook his head and softly smiled.
"Relax, Dahlia, I'm not just doing it for you and Julius, but for your child. He reminds me of someone..." This reasoning confused Dahlia, and she asked Caliel this in an investigative tone.
"That seems too small of a reason... Did Julius put you up into anything?" Julius wanted to defend himself, but her cold, dead stare put a stop to his defense. The smile from the Fallen Angel didn't cease, and he continued.
"This time, it's of my own volition, Mrs. Akvash, and I'd rather not have another innocent being destroyed without a chance to grow." this answer made Dahlia smile but was dampened when Caliel was about to disappear.
"Well then, I guess this will be our final time together, huh? I will miss both of you. I hope the both of you will enjoy parenthood, as it can be a bit hard, but I'm betting both of you will be able to handle it." And just like that, Caliel disappeared. And now all that's left was a moment of silence until Dahlia spoke up.
"We should go ahead inside the storage unit that the both of you made and find some food for Tristan." with that said, they both went silently inside with Tristan. And with their silence abruptly came Tristan's fit of happiness through squealing, warming their souls, and committing their plan even further.
(3rd POV: Tristan Devroop Akvash)
'Well, now I thought I have seen plenty with teleportation, but what is that?' Julius was now looking into the eyes of a yellowish, maybe even golden-eyed creature... And oddly enough, Tristan's thoughts about it weren't even fearful towards it but purely curious. Because if this thing actually wanted to hurt him, he would have been torn to shreds instantly then and there. It was an awkward stare-down between the two. After a while, I was handed back to my mother, and she held Little Tristan even tighter than before.
'Oh lord?!!?! I didn't expect to be squeezed to death this time?!?!?!' and that time of listening in, he was only able to decipher a few words like 'too much,' 'reason,' or 'goodbye,' the difficulty of being a baby again is the hardest. And finally, whatever that thing was, when it disappeared, his mother's gorilla grip loosened. When they started walking toward that weird-looking house that had just been built, and now the next words Dahlia said gave Tristan complete joy, which were, 'Tristan' and 'food,' 'Oh fuck yeah!!! I get to have something to eat!!!!'
And with that, the Prelude to Tristan's short childhood can begin...