Chapter Text
Caleb and Philip Wittebane were both stripped of their childhoods. Their parents' death made them grow up too fast. Caleb, being older, did the best he could. He wasn't very good at parenting because he was still a child himself. Despite their hardships, they did well for most of their lives. The colony of Connecticut was known to be one full of religious witch-hunters. Their interpretation of the Bible and their preachers told them the dangers of magic, witches and demons. This mindset rubbed off onto the two brothers. They became witch-hunters themselves. Philip was always the more passionate one. One day, they met a witch named Evelyn. She was a real witch. She showed them her ways of magic and where she came from. The demon realm. Apparently she lived on the toes of a giant dead creature called a Titan. The Titan was treated like a god. Interesting to Caleb, but blasphemous to Philip. He often thought of Ezekiel 7:23, "Make a chain: for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence." In this case, it was not just a city, it was a whole world. Philip saw his brother slowly turn soft to this demonic realm of witchcraft. Caleb had something called a palisman, but worst of all, he and Evelyn were expecting. Expecting an abomination, in Philip's mind. He knew that Caleb had fallen into the trap of Evelyn. She was leading him away from God. Witches were clever and manipulative. He needed to save Caleb's soul. But how? Caleb would not accept any of Philip's offerings. Neither any reasoning nor begging. Unfortunately, there was only one option left. Some might compare it to Cain and Abel, but this was clearly different. Cain was jealous of Abel's success with the heavens. This was not jealousy of impurity. And like Cain, Philip tried and failed to plant seeds. Seeds were of correctness and holy teachings. Often Philip still had dreams about the day he saved his brother's soul. It was not a pleasant ordeal. But it had to be done. Still, the sounds of Caleb drowning in his own blood still haunted him. He had never heard his brother sob before.
Philip often used sacrifices to get what he wanted. Sometimes they were to God and sometimes they were to get what he wanted. With them, he found the Collector. They showed him how to cleanse the Boiling Isles and how to bring back his brother with something called a grimwalker. A grimwalker was close to a double walker. The ingredients were hard to come by. That's probably why they went extinct. Needed parts for one were a galdorstone, palistrom wood, stonesleeper lungs, selkidomus scales, and a bone of ortet. Unfortunately this meant taking bones from Caleb to make them. But it was for a good cause. It needed to be done to cleanse this realm. Philip made a story. His name was Belos. His family was killed by wild magic. The Titan spoke to him. That's how he knew what wild magic was. Using sigils and covens you could make your magic pure. Belos had a right hand man called The Golden Guard. It was always a grimwalker. He told them that their whole family were killed by wild magic. Those stories was how he controlled anyone he wanted to. The grimwalkers always betrayed Belos. Like ortet like rament. So he had to kill them when they did. Eventually he go desensitized to killing them. He lost count after 30. He always gives them names though. Names like Judah, Elias, Obed, Malachi, Hosea, Michael, and Ezra. Biblical names mostly.
In the cave Belos claimed for making the grimwalkers, he would keep the bones and golden guard masks from them. Every time he walked by that area all of their ghosts would stare at him. It was like they were really there. Staring at him with hate, sadness, and anger. But he would always remind himself of Luke 24:39 "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have." Though the verse was about Jesus not being a ghost when he resurrected, the point it made stood. Ghosts do not have flesh. Those ghosts could not hurt him. There was one that could. It was a different ghost however. It did not come from this demonic world. It's skeleton was not with the others. It was Caleb. And that ghost followed him. Everywhere. A constant reminder of what he had done. Caleb mumbled often. There were only two things he would say, either, "Thou shalt not murder," or "Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked." After some time, Belos found that he was quoting Deuteronomy and Exodus. The bible. Caleb? The one who denied the bible when he was alive? He was now the one trying to tell Belos what was wrong? Hilarious. He did not understand Jesus' teachings. He did not have the right to quote anything from the holy text.
Belos believed his punishment of being haunted by grimwalkers, his brother, and palisman was too much to bear. He often thought of the days he was driven from many towns. Acting like that of a fugitive. But he knew that God had and will protect him. He just needs to keep praying.
The most recent grimwalker was also the youngest being 6. Belos named him Hunter. Grimwalkers come out of the ground at different times. The oldest was 22. Belos has tried to make them as young as possible. It was easier to indoctrinate them that way. And Hunter was very indoctrinated, that also meant loyal. He was rough around the edges and failed more than the others, but he did what he was told. That's what mattered. Hunter looked the most like Caleb. There was always something obviously different from Caleb with the others. Not Hunter though. Hunter was almost the exact same. Almost. First, there was Hunter's scars. Second, ears. Grimwalkers had pointed ears and Caleb obviously did not. Third, eyes. Caleb had brown eyes, not magenta like Hunter's. Fourth, hair. Lastly, he was weak. Belos deemed that pulling the grimwalkers out of the ground later was better because they would be stronger, but that meant they wouldn't last longer. So, he pulled Hunter out earlier. He was the most loyal and devoted grimwalker, but very weak.