I believe in the Lord who created all that we now touch, and I also believe in his decision to divide the species of demonic beings from human beings. Assuming that the tempting devil’s beings are the same monsters, I, who am the son of both species, am but an abomination. They are the fruit of Heaven and Hell. I am Purgatory and Limbo united. I beg for mercy for my damned soul, which will only bring bad luck to all those I meet. I am a horrible being that should never have been born. For this reason I also ask for understanding and, in order to avoid bringing evil with me, I will give my dirty blood to the earth which also accepts to devour our flesh after the assumption of our souls.

This was what I thought at the time, I laid the whip and let the blood run down my back and joined my hands in prayer. The effigy of Saint Sebastian was before me and with his eyes full of suffering he was speaking to me as if he and I could communicate our emotions in sacrificing ourselves to the sacred belief of the Lord. I knew that the worst sin committed by myself was my birth and the Church was right about what we hybrids were. Two species as different as the Sons of Cain and the Apostles of the Lord should never have believed in such a sinful union. And to give life to what? To a living being who most likely could never join any faction after death.

For this reason I continued to hide in the hall of San Sebastiano, the Saint of the convent, and injure my flesh as a punishment of my life in this world. But my Brothers did not love this kind of action, perhaps because of my young age, and for this very reason I trembled to understand that I was surprised during one of my prayers of suffering. It was Father Heust who discovered me, so as soon as he asked me to follow him, I did so without hesitation. I had never been very good with words, especially when they were supposed to become an excuse for something I had just done and at that time it might seem even more difficult to find the right ones to defend myself. At that long moment that separated me from the Father’s reproach of my person, I continued to ponder how to ask forgiveness for daring to use the punishment forbidden to young people, for this reason I was thrilled to notice that the room chosen by Father Heust was not the chapel but his office and that inside there was already a man. He seemed very serious, set his cold eyes on me, a few seconds and turned his attention to the Father who sat in front of the Devil, on the opposite side of his desk. «Johnny, please sit down.» - I carried out the order given with kindness, in a few words my patron described to me what had happened and why I had not grown up with my parents. Knowing of their death did not upset me, I had become accustomed for years to the idea that they could not hold me because of their difference in species and for this reason I had always imagined them as disgusting as the Divine Sin. In a certain sense, however, I had to admit to myself that knowing them dead would not benefit my heart and I had to fight against myself to shed no tears for them. My mind had emptied in such a short period of time that I no longer understood what they were saying to me until I heard: «...for that reason, from now on you will live with this gentleman.» - I looked at the man I had just called the Devil. - «His name is Justice Miller, he will be your guardian.» I was born dirty and with it I would become black as pitch. 

Outside the convent, while the young Johnny was intent on finishing loading his luggage, Father Heust pointed out to Miller one particular thing about the boy, namely his desire to sacrifice himself for the good of God. «I know well that this could lead you to think that the rumours about our Creed are true but I still want you to understand that we have not forced anyone to be of our own opinion.» - the man sighed in his breath on that cold day and a puff flew in front of his face - «I just wanted to tell you that Johnny is a good guy and despite this he has convinced himself to be a mistake for society, I would like you to teach him the value of living his life to the full, especially now that he has lost his parents.» - He ended smiling at the new guardian and yet his words as his expression did not seem to touch that stone facade. «I can only assure you that nothing will happen to him and I will keep this promise but not for you. I promised his parents to help him in any way to survive in this world now forgotten by your beloved God whom you so glorify. I am not like you. I will never trust in a Creed, if I had done so long ago, I would not be where I am now.» - finally kept quiet, turning his back on the old lord of the convent and taking the boy away.

As far as I could tell, according to the vow left by my parents, I was supposed to hand over my custody from Father Heust’s convent to the diabolical individual named Justice Miller, and the event certainly didn’t cheer me up. I noticed, before leaving, the expression that man had addressed to the Father and I did not like. Finally he got in the car. «And so he knew my parents.» - I tried to talk about the two sinful souls, Mr Miller answered nothing so I tried to continue: - What are you? A man or...» I saw him draft a smile: «I am the kind of man you believers call the Servant of Satan. Or, to be more precise, Monster.» I could not say anything to the answer, I was only incredulous to know that Father Heust had left me in the hands of a cursed being like that. «The Lord will surely have mercy on your soul after death, even if the Devil is the only one to receive you.» - closed my eyes praying for me and for that individual but his right hand landed on mine, lowering them. «If God were as magnanimous as you say... he would never have allowed your parents to die.» «Instead I find it a just punishment for daring to generate me. My being is impure and not even baptism could...» - I stopped looking at Mr Miller’s open eyes. Within seconds I felt the pain of a slap on my left cheek. «Your parents were not only my friends but also gave their lives to protect you. Don’t you dare say any more of that shit in front of me.» I don't answered. And I knew demons could cry too.

«Always listen to the words of Justice, Johnny. They will save your life.» It was the last thing Father Heust said to me before he trusted me with what he could now call my godfather.