| “ | That's right. The Father of Murder. Or the first "villain" as they also call me. But what I did...you people don't get it...you'll never get that this curse made me live with the guilt of killing my brother for countless centuries. The thought of your own parents disowning you. Your own people turning against you. It hurts. But even so I'm here...always will be. And I'm also very much the last person on Earth you'd want to piss off. | „ |
| ~ Cain |
Cain, known by his titles as the Father of Murder, the Wanderer, the First Immortal, and the Slayer of Kin, was the brother of Abel as well as revealed to being the son of Satan and Eve.
Overview
Cain is infamously known to be the first murderer and the catalyst behind the Cycle of Fratricide. He is also regarded as the first true immortal seeing as how he is the first born child of the progenitors of humanity and that his curse forbids him from being taken by death, leaving him to wander the Earth for eternity.
According to teachings this was the first true murder mankind committed and as such Cain has become an immortal symbol of villainy in religious works and is referred often as "The Father of Murder".
History
Genesis
Cain was born from the union of Eve and Satan but at the time he was unaware of his true heritage of being the son of Satan. As the years went by, Cain originally cared for his brother, but over time this love grew into a rivalry due to the fact that Abel had much more time with God than he. Cain would learn of the events that transpired before his birth regarding Adam and Eve's banishment from the Garden of Eden as a result of their disobedience.
While he loved his family, he was frustrated by their naivety and reliance on a God that was not understanding enough of this naivety and would curse them and their descendants with mortality and death. He was especially frustrated at the fact that Abel was not as angry as he is with Abel assuring his brother that what happened was the will of the Lord which Cain only scoffs at each time and this leads him to resent God in the process.
Cain and his family would offer sacrifices to God with Cain being a tiller while Abel would be a farmer, however, God sensed Cain's resentment towards him and did not give any attention to Cain or his offerings. God instead would focus it all on Abel which resulted in a rivalry growing between Cain and Abel, although Abel only loved his brother and nothing more. This rivalry was soon fueled by jealousy that quickly turned to rage.
Cursed with Undeath
Enraged over God's obvious favoritism of Abel's offerings than his own, Cain was approached by Lucifer who was sympathetic to Cain's plight. Cain explains to Lucifer his situation, and resents God for having cursed his parents and his future descendants with mortality and death. Cain, however, did not understand what death is. Lucifer takes Cain into the Abyss of Space, where Cain realizes how small and insignificant he is. Next, the two travel back in time, where Cain sees Earth in its former beauty. Finally, Lucifer brings Cain to the gates of Hades. Cain is horrified by shadowy Hades, the 'realm of Death.' Lucifer explains that the phantoms flying around are the spirits of beings that God made and destroyed before he made mankind. All of this disgusts Cain, so much so that he simply wants to die and get it over with. He asks to stay in Hades, but Lucifer tells him he cannot, at least not yet and they return to Earth.
Cain begins to fear the looming shadow of death, and seeing this, Lucifer offered Cain his assistance, by giving him the tools that will not only help him gain God's attention but also will allow him to overcome the fear of death. Cain accepted and Lucifer branded Cain with a mark that will help him. Later, Abel asks Cain to join him at a sacrifice. A column of fire ascends from Abel's alter into heaven, but a whirlwind destroys Cain's alter. Cain is happy to see the fruits scattered off of his alter, but Abel attempts to remake Cain's alter anyway. They begin to argue, and the two separate. In their separation, Cain's thoughts in regards to the looming shadow of death overwhelms him, and his fear of death was so great that he decided that he would need to kill his family before death's shadow that surrounds them does first in order to "liberate" them from this fear. He justified this "liberation" through his family's perceived view of him. Cain returns to Abel who was prepared to make amends with Cain but before he could, Cain took Abel to a remote location where they would have their "discussion" in private. What follows is considered by many to be among the greatest betrayals, where Cain knocks Abel at the back of the head before stabbing him to death to "release" him from death's ring. However, Cain, in his sheer horror, realized the enormity of what he had done.
Before Abel dies, he asks God to forgive Cain. Cain quickly hid his brother's body and ran from the scene. He was found by God who asked him where Abel was but Cain replied in scorn, "Am I my brother's keeper?" It was not until Nemesis, the goddess of retribution, appeared between Cain and the Almighty and promptly revealed Cain to God as the culprit behind Abel's death by splashing his face with Abel's blood upon which it burned his skin. Cain's burning skin made him relent and beg for the Almighty to spare him as Nemesis' marking with the blood of his crime would make him a target for the Erinyes to mercilessly torture him. In response, God cursed Cain with a mark, commonly referred to as the mark of Cain. This mark serves as God's punishment to Cain by preventing him being embraced by death, as such no human, beast, or entity would be able to kill him. The mark itself is believed to be more of a spiritual mark and possibly located on the forehead along with his burnt skin as a way of signalling others that Cain was an sinful outcast. Horrified, Cain approached Lucifer after being cursed by God in a desperate plea to have him remove the curse, but Lucifer cannot as this was by God's will. He then requests for Lucifer to give him the power to overcome the fear of death, and Lucifer responds that he already has. He explains that by stirring Cain's instincts and his fears, it led him to murdering his brother and God cursing him with undeath, as such, Lucifer fulfilled his promise by proxy through God. Horrified, Cain desperately shouted to the Morning Star for help but Lucifer said he was beyond saving and left Cain to his fate.
Corruption of Innocence
Not only did Cain's actions first sparked murder itself, but acquiring the mark of Lucifer, gave birth to the infamous event known as "the Deal with the Devil". Adam and Eve curse Cain and banish him from their home. Awan begs the family to forgive Cain, but they refuse. Furthermore, Cain's murder of of Abel sparked a vicious cycle known as the Cycle of Fratricide which involves a brother killing a brother in a fit of rage, hatred, and jealousy for centuries to come.
Cain's actions would inevitably lead humanity further into darkness, specifically over their fear of death. As Cain held Satan's malice and had his fears exploited by Lucifer, his actions through the puppeteering hands of Lucifer and Satan would live on and are sowed in the souls and hearts of man and beast, who have inherited the world, and take shape in men as the fear of death. They were a seed that did not die and could not be destroyed, but ever and anon sprouted anew, and bore dark fruit ever after.
Cain becomes something of a city-builder, and the forefather of tent-dwelling pastoralists, all lyre and pipe players, and the bronze and iron smiths, respectively. It is said that Cain settled down and married his sister Awan, who bore his first son, the first Enoch, approximately 196 years after the creation of Adam. Cain then establishes the first city, naming it after his son, builds a house, and lives there until it collapses on him, supposedly killing him, although there are legends which soon become rumors begin to circulate that Cain survived and is actually still alive, living among his descendants much like his parents, but cursed by the mark placed on him by God.
Cain's Madness and Rampage
As centuries pass, Cain hid amongst his descendants and watched them slowly fall into corruption and madness due to his actions. At some point, his immortality drove him to the point where he attempted to kill himself but to no avail. He even went so far as to perform a ritual that would have him open a gateway to Hell where he would spend the eternity there instead of Earth. Cain, however, was not welcomed within Hell and forcefully driven out.
But Cain resisted and in a spurn of rage, began slaughtering the demons that stood against him and prevented him getting his well-deserved fate. Due to his immortality and rising power from his sheer rage, none of the demons could bring down Cain and were only met with a bloody and gruesome end by his hands. It was not until the Dark Knight Sparda stepped in to drive Cain out. Their battle was long and seemingly never-ending with Cain only growing stronger throughout the fight. However, Sparda managed to strike a blow that stunned Cain and provided him with more than enough time to expel him from the Inferno.
Cain's experience and realization that he is not even welcomed in Hell drove him mad with rage. Like many immortal beings that walked the Earth he had witnessed empires rise and fall, civilizations flourish and fade, monarchies dethroned, and has engaged in many wars hoping to die but always fail. At some point in the 4th century AD, Cain fought and defeated Theokoles, one of the Maleficar, in a monstrous battle that endured for three days and nights, ravaging the lands. Cain took precautions in dismembering Theokoles' body, then having his body parts bound in sacred jars by a powerful witch, ensuring that he never regenerates. Cain, seeing his efforts as fruitless when even the likes of Theokoles could not end him, opted to instead live in self-imposed exile, isolated from mankind.
Four years later, however, Cain would have another confrontation with yet another powerful opponent, the Nosferatu Zodd. Zodd appeared before Cain in a lone cabin located within the outskirts of ancient Norway. Initially mistaking him for a raider, Cain tells him to leave only for Zodd to punch Cain clear over the house. The two start a brutal and violent fight across the forest, upheaving trees, sending the other flying, and cracking the earth beneath them, moreover neither was seemingly gaining any ground as Cain's immortality prevented him from dying while the damage Zodd would receive would only increase his strength and prowess. Regardless of the damage Cain would inflict on him, Zodd would only grow more elated and ecstatic at the idea that there are others besides Sparda who reside on Earth that can push him this far. After a long and grueling fight, Cain overpowered Zodd by jamming a spear in his throat before throwing him over a cliff edge and into a chasm opened by their fight.
Modern Age
Cain would not be seen again was not until World War II where the Ahnenerbe began to perform the Rite of Solomon that Cain reached his breaking point and provided aid for the Allied Occult Initiative, Hellsing Organization, the Order of the Silver Cross, and B. P. R. D. in defeating the Nazi occult group in the guise of a soldier. Cain did not overly involve himself but just enough to not warrant attention from the key players although several of the enhanced members deduced that he was not exactly human.
He was later recruited by Requiem, a division of the Global Occult Coalition that specializes in neutralizing extra dimensional forces, after seeing his impressive track record and is regarded as one of their ultimate trump cards, arming him with advanced destructive weaponry, before then using him to combat threats that the facility would have difficulty bringing down. Interestingly, Requiem are unaware of Cain's true identity but they do have knowledge over the facts that Cain is more superhuman than most, especially with the most prominent trait of his is that he is unable to die despite suffering severe fatal injuries from powerful extra dimensional forces.
Trapped in the Dark Nexus
Cain would fight for Requiem for several years until 1985. A portal to the Dark Nexus was opened by Aleksandra Valentina, a covert operative for GRU Division "P" who infiltrated American soil in order to relay any valuable information towards GRU Division "P" to utilize in their competition against America's own enhanced forces. However, Valentina would end up coercing with Doctor Olivia Pearce in regards to using the powers of the Dark Nexus for their own gain. An outbreak zone appeared around one of Berlin's checkpoints. At Berlin, the strike team would be joined by Cain and uncovered the Endstation lab. Under the command of Gorev, Jager and Peck, Requiem began working on a new Reality Inversion warhead to close the portal. The team recovered the uranium stolen from the lost nuclear device by a Wraith and collected essence from Avogadro using Endstation lures.
As Cain and his comrades continued on, Valentina stepped out of the portal unleashing more eldritch monstrosities. She proclaimed that the dawn of a new age was upon them with her army on its way as she was engulfed by the energy which turned her into an "ascended demon" known as Rectabus. Valentina and Cain battled throughout the Outbreak Zone but, ultimately, Cain managed to defeat Valentina. Cain impaled her to the conversion machine built by her father and activated it, killing her. Her energy refined the essence, completing the Reality Inversion warhead.
But even if the portal was closed the forces of the Dark Nexus would continue their attempts to invade and devour the universe. To ensure that the portal remains closed, Cain grabbed the warhead before stepping in the Dark Nexus but not before bidding a farewell to his allies. The explosion closed the portal and stopped the outbreak. Cain would fight the seemingly infinite horde of Apothicons and their monstrous soldiers, never relenting nor resting as the Mark would fuel his rage endlessly to where even the Apothicons' mightiest of champions fell before him. Since time moves differently between our universe and the Dark Nexus, Cain had been on killing spree for seemingly thousands of years which was more than enough to keep the Apothicons away from our universe. His rampage and deeds made him legendary in the annals of history across multiple dimensions. He would even receive aid from the Elder Gods of the Dark Nexus mainly as a way to help them in their quest to stop Davoth's ascension and assimilation of Earth, where they bestowed upon him several gifts he would use as weapons, among of which is the Praetor suit given to him by Saraxis and a Sword by Inviktor.
Personality
When individuals think of Cain they tend to view him as a cruel, reckless, and destructive being, willing to kill anyone who gets in his way. However, it is revealed that it was not the case at all as Cain in the beginning was cool, collected, and less callous towards others. Moreover, in spite of what others initially believed, Cain dearly loved his brother Abel as well as his parents. He also is greatly stoic and silent, speaks only when necessary and often only what absolutely needs to be said.
What drove Cain down this path of hatred, madness and murder was his heritage. At the time he was unaware of the fact that he was the son of Satan and Eve, and due to being the spawn of a celestial being his rapid growth led him to develop a fear of death due to Lucifer's machinations. He did not understand what death was until Lucifer showed him what death would bring when taken to the next world which deeply frightened Cain. Though death was meant to be a gift towards Adam and Eve's children, Cain's view towards death made his descendants regard it not as liberation, but as damnation. Eventually, Cain's paranoia over the looming shadow of death culminated in him making a Faustian bargain with Lucifer that resulted in his murder of Abel but not out of hatred or jealousy but for the sake of "liberating" him from death's grasp.
As centuries go by, Cain became more and more disillusioned and enraged with the treatment he was receiving from God, most notable when he was in service to Him. This lead him to becoming filled with hatred and less caring about the lives of others. Perhaps what Cain's breaking point that truly made any happiness or positive feelings he possibly could have had vanish is when his brother was killed leading to his family and Heaven's abandonment of him. This was the moment that sent Cain down his spiral of utter hatred and madness, with the last people he ever cared about being stolen from him by Heaven and Hell's machinations. The endless nightmares of Abel's death he was also tormented with further caused him to fall into a state of total mental anguish and anger, as he felt haunted by every waking moment. Even in his futile attempts to rest himself and his mind, visions of his horrible, bloody past refused to leave him, which became so bad that he attempted suicide multiple times only to be denied each time. This has driven him to become cold towards almost everyone he's ever met, and being denied an afterlife greatest of efforts, as he is filled with deep shame and regret for his actions.
In a strange twist of irony, Cain's curse made him not only no longer fear death but desperately sought it out to embrace it. The downside is that it slowly strips him of his humanity the more he engages in battle against any and all who oppose him, turning him into a primal rage-filled animal. Barring his more negative traits, Cain is a very brave and utterly fearless warrior who is not afraid of any enemy regardless of strength, numbers and even species, which makes him able to stand up to people, monster and even powerful immortals alike. He possesses tremendous amounts of willpower and determination that cannot be weakened. No matter the situation, opponents or obstacles, he pushes forward, refusing to give up regardless of what happened. Elena Richardson of Requiem describes him as the embodiment of humanity's rage - their will to persevere and to overcome obstacles that threaten their survival.
In the modern age, however, Cain begins to disown his past and becomes a more stoic character, only bursting out in anger when antagonized or threatened. Although he is sometimes prone to outbursts, he almost always manages to regain control of himself before doing any damage. In addition, his distrust for divine and demonic beings remains intact, opting to avoid interaction with them whenever possible, even when they try to befriend and help him. Cain now only kills out of self-defense and does not see the point in killing a weakened enemy and he is shown to be much more polite towards those who ally with him and displays enough increased sensitivity to know how not to make an enemy out of others.
Powers and Abilities
Originally, Cain was a normal human that was susceptible to disease and death but after being cursed with the mark he gained superhuman abilities and great destructive power. Cain possesses incredible superhuman physical prowess, beyond that of any mortal or beast, augmented via the countless wars and battles he was in throughout the ages, and later surpassing all other powerful beasts and supernatural entities, the exact limits of which are yet to be determined. Dr. Elena Richardson of Requiem, upon studying his physical prowess throughout his exploits, likened him to a god. He fought Sparda to a near stalemate, battled and defeated the likes of Theokoles one of the most powerful Maleficar or Zodd an extremely powerful demonic warrior comparable to Sparda, and participated in countless battles and wars throughout human history. His power and immortality proved invaluable to the Federal Bureau of Control as he was more than capable of restraining even Keter-class paranatural entities.
Cain's driving factor is his rage for the more he is enraged the further his power and strength increases making him a near-unstoppable destructive force of nature. This was shown when he ventured through Hell in an attempt to kill himself only to kill the hundreds of thousands of demons that stood in his way. One of his more famous feats is contending with the Legendary Dark Knight, Sparda, in his prime to where the two engaged in single combat that shook the foundations of Hell until Cain fell under a mighty blow from Sparda. It is said that Cain is perhaps one of two known beings in history that has fought Sparda to a near stalemate. His increase in strength allowed him to lift weights far in excess of a hundred tons. His rage also dulls his senses to pain to where Cain would continue to fight with increasing ferocity and speed no matter how strong the counter of his opponent is. Example of this was during his battle with Theokoles, the two battled for three days and nights with Cain showing no signs of fatigue or stress. Another was him wading through endless waves of the Dark Nexus' legions for millennia without stopping. However, he can be knocked out or stunned by sufficiently powerful attacks but even then it requires tremendous effort to do so.
Another pivotal factor to Cain's power is his immortality and invincibility. The curse that was placed upon him not only prevented him from aging but also did not allow him to die no matter the damage he sustains from his opponents or other powerful external forces thus making him immune to conventional means of harm. This also resulted in Cain being immune to the effects of starvation, dehydration, and disease. Due to his curse preventing him from dying, Cain has partook in numerous wars and battles throughout human history, which in turn made Cain into an extremely accomplished combatant with thousands of years worth of tremendous mastery and experience over both armed and hand-to-hand combat. When Cain fought Zodd, his examination of Cain's methods of combat made him realize that the Father of Murder was not only familiar with every known fighting style on Earth, but also mastered them, even ones that are unknown. This in turn makes Cain to be quite possibly the most skilled and powerful fighter on Earth, with very few others rivaling him and surpassing numerous other highly adept combatants.
