[Content Warnings - Death and violence, mentions of suicide.]

First life, human (main story):

Eden Nocturne had always known his life would be a dangerous one. But he didn’t care, he had always been prepared to live and die for the sake of others. Thus was the burden of a Demon Hunter.

He, alongside his younger brother Carver and their father Abel, were the last surviving members of the ancient organisation, as were their forefathers going back generations. Their lives were devoted to slaying the powerful immortal demons, monsters of evil-incarnate who preyed on humankind, which plagued the ancient city of Necropolis. Being the last heirs of a dying bloodline, they were both always expected to carry on that tradition. And Eden embraced this fate.

However, Carver had other ideas. The two brothers had been so close as children, always talking about everything, sharing their secrets - they were each other’s best friend. But growing older, they began to grow distant. While Eden continued with his training, Carver outright refused to. He was always arguing against their ideologies, always challenging their doctrines. Eden didn’t really care about this so much, he tried to be respectful of other’s opinions and beliefs, despite his own views. But it seemed as though Carver was starting to hate his own family too. They hardly spoke at all anymore, and whenever they tried, it quickly escalated into arguments. It was heartbreaking to watch as the cause that meant so much to him was what tore his family apart.

And it was heartbreaking, being helpless as one day he watched Carver and Abel argue, prompting Carver to storm out of the house into the dead of night – and not return.

For almost a year, Eden believed Carver to be dead. In truth, it would have been a mercy to live his life believing that. Because when he and Carver met again, it was in the worst circumstances imaginable.

Returning home from a hunting trip one day, Eden was shocked to find his brother in the house, except this was not the brother he once knew. No longer a man, Carver had become the very creature he had sworn to destroy – a demon. And he held in his hand a bloody knife as he stood over the lifeless body of their father.

Eden felt shattered to his very core as he chased Carver away with scars to remember, but despite his devastation, he could not bring himself to kill the brother he had once loved. So he let Carver run and escape with his life, both swearing revenge, while Eden was left alone with nothing but grief, and an emptiness that could never be healed.

In the wake of that loss, the years following were dark and lonely. Eden doubted he would have made it through them if it were not for the support of those around him. Especially Harriet, she was always there for him. He met her during that time, and although it difficult for him to open up at first, they got along well, in time becoming close friends. He was grateful for her company, to have someone to confide in during those hard times, but also to just have a friend. He found himself smiling more when he was with her. They helped each other through some of their darkest times, but they shared many happy memories together as well. Eventually they came to realise they cared for each other as more than just friends.

Of course, life was never easy, but they had each other, and they supported each other through thick and thin. Slowly, things were starting to look up. They were together for many years, eventually getting married, and later having a child together, Joshua. Eden finally had a family again, and everything seemed perfect. For the first time in years, he was truly happy.

But happiness never lasts forever…

It had been ten years now since that last encounter with his brother. And, truthfully, Eden barely considered it anymore. He could never forget that pain, but he wouldn’t let it haunt him anymore. He had forged a new life for himself. He had put his past behind him and moved on… but perhaps that was a mistake.

Because he was completely unprepared when Carver appeared again, to fulfil his vow for revenge. Without warning, he ambushed Eden in his own home. The two brothers fought, but still Eden could not help but hold back – and that cost him dearly. He hesitated at a critical moment, giving Carver the chance to strike him down. However, just before the demon standing before him could deal the killing blow, Harriet intervened.

She recklessly fought back against Carver, sacrificing her own life to save his. Eden could only watch in horror as that monster slit her throat. He couldn’t even help her, injured and in no shape to fight as Carver held him back, forcing him to watch as she bled out. By the time he finally let him go… it was too late. She was gone. Carver left then, deciding that letting Eden live with that loss would be a worse fate than death.

Eden had barely kept himself together when his father had died. Now, all alone, he completely fell apart. He knew keeping Josh around wasn’t an option – the life of a Demon Hunter was wrought with danger, for themselves and others, and this tragedy served as a terrible reminder of that. It was no place for a young child. So he asked Harriet's sister if she could take custody and foster him, she agreed to raise the boy.

And after that, he stopped caring. He was all alone, he was a wreck, and he… he had failed. He had failed to protect the ones he loved. He should have done more, it should have been him in her place. Everything he had ever worked and lived for was starting to seem pointless. The fragile stability he had spent so long building up began to crumble, he fell into self-destructive habits, and his recklessness while hunting became borderline suicidal. There were times he considered actually attempting, but- No. He held on. He promised himself he’d keep fighting. But trying to get better was a very slow, very hard climb. And truthfully, he was never really the same again…

The loneliness got to him a lot. He had loved Harriet so much, he could never bring himself to move on, and his relationship with his son was strained to say the least. They didn’t see each other often, and when they did Josh was always distant. Turns out he wasn’t too happy about being abandoned by his father. Eden really tried so hard to get along with his son, but the damage had been done, and the animosity only grew as he got older. One day Josh just told Eden he didn’t care, told him to get out of his life.

Those words hurt Eden so much, they broke him, but he respected his son's wishes and obliged. Some time after that, Josh was reported missing, suspected to have been a suicide. And the regret, the guilt… it broke Eden all over again. And this time he stopped trying to get better, what did he even have left to fight for, anyway?

So it came as a shock, when almost a year later Josh appeared on his doorstep, with Carver by his side. It happened just like before, such a cruel irony. The two demons attacked him, and Eden barely even put up a fight against them. What did it matter? After all that had happened, he had become so apathetic to the thought of death now. He let them win. He let Carver kick him and hold him down. Drained. Defeated. He didn’t bother to fight back as Josh held a gun to his head.

He gave up.

The last thing Eden saw were his son’s tormented eyes as he pulled the trigger.

Second life, angel (epilogue):

...