Julian

Julian was the son of Terizla, the leader of the Free Smiths' Guild. The guild was exterminated by the Church of Light on charges of heresy when Julian was at an early age. The poor child was then adopted by the archbishop, trained and molded to be an elite member of the Ravens, a secret force that listened only to the archbishop's orders. Later, on his mission to "purify" Xavier, he caught a glimpse of the secret buried in time… 512px|center On a winter's night ten years ago, a snowstorm raged over the citadel of the Free Smiths' Guild. The Free Smiths' Guild by Terizla was accused of pledging allegiance to the Abyss and wiped out by the Church of Light. The sole survivor was the leader's six-year-old son who wandered on the streets for days until the Church found the starving boy. The Archbishop saw the special talent in him, granted him the name of an ancient saint—Julian, and sent him to the special academy in the Church of Light—Raven's Nest. Standing on top of a cliff, the school was home to orphans with special talents. The Archbishop told them that children abandoned by their families were not worthy of love, but he would give them love and rebirth, which must be repaid with gratitude and loyalty: they must become Ravens—a secret special force that answers directly to the Archbishop and cleanses the world of all heretics and evils for the Lord of Light. Julian forced himself to forget his past, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't erase the nightmare from his mind: his mother left him behind and begged for mercy for herself, not even sparing a look at him... Julian also remembered a strange gesture along with the nightmare: he'd always push the corners of his mouth up with his hands and force himself to smile subconsciously. But other than that, he couldn't remember anything else. He didn't know who taught him to do that or what happened back then. The children at the Raven's Nest were called Nestlings. They would do strenuous chores and study tomes and battle skills during the day, and then stay in their separate caves for grace and rest at night. The lives of Nestlings are lonely. But Julian made a family with the other guests in his cave: a rodent that loves bread crumbs, a chirping sparrow and a goat he took care of. On every windy night, they would listen to Julian talking about his loneliness and doubts. To him, they were his family who didn't speak. With their company, Julian worked diligently at the Academy and was one of the most excellent students in labor, studying and fighting. He was praised by the Archbishop but did not notice another Nestling's jealousy towards him. One night, Julian retired to his bedroom, only to find three stiff animal carcasses upon the stone bed. Behind him came the other Nestling's evil snickers, "Rodents stand for unfaithfulness, sparrows ignorance, and goats weakness... Julian, you are not worthy of love or rebirth from the Church!" His vision blurred in a sudden rush of blood, as he c