TV-Series
Description
Born to a human family in mid-18th century Gévaudan, Jean-Jacques Chastel awakened as a vampire in childhood. His mother refused to acknowledge him, while his father subjected him to physical abuse. Isolated from Altus vampire society, he heard legends of a witch in the Silver Forest and eventually encountered Chloé d'Apchier, the hidden last survivor of the noble d'Apchier family. They formed an inseparable bond, becoming each other's sole companions in a region increasingly hostile to vampires.
As vampire hunts escalated, the Catholic Church fabricated the Beast of Gévaudan to justify extrajudicial killings. Investigating these atrocities led to Chloé's family being massacred by the Church. Public suspicion then turned to Chloé, with rumors accusing her of controlling the Beast or being the Beast herself. A violent mob targeted her, dismissing Jean-Jacques's attempts to defend her. Witnessing this hatred, he concluded the villagers' collective terror had created the Beast, and the hunt would only end with its death. To protect Chloé from becoming the scapegoat, he deliberately became a curse-bearer by surrendering his true name to Naenia, gaining the power to transform into a massive wolf-like Beast to divert violence away from her.
Despite his efforts, the mob's persecution intensified. Jean-Jacques's father attempted to kill him for a bounty, shooting him during a confrontation. Chloé intervened, carrying the wounded Jean-Jacques through the snow. At the cliff's edge, facing the Senate's bourreau Jeanne—Chloé's former friend—Chloé chose suicide by jumping. She survived and, consumed by vengeance, contracted her own malnomen, Millie, Theater of Ice and Snow, from Naenia. This created a closed, repeating dimension within the Silver Forest, trapping Chloé and Jean-Jacques in an endless loop of her traumatic memories. For over a century, fabricated villagers, dragoons, Chasseurs, and bourreaus manifested to attack Chloé. Jean-Jacques, as the Beast, fought and killed these apparitions repeatedly in a futile effort to protect her. During this time, Chloé constructed automatons resembling her deceased family, claiming they too deserved vengeance. Jean-Jacques remained devoted but grew uneasy about her motivations.
A century later, outsiders like Vanitas and Noé Archiviste entered their world. Jean-Jacques drugged Noé to prevent interference and shared his blood, forcing Noé to witness his memories so someone would remember their suffering. As the repeating world began collapsing, Jean-Jacques confronted Chloé about her plan to have the automatons kill her after exacting revenge. Horrified by her self-destructive intentions, he rejected the power he gained as the Beast, declaring he would protect her as himself—Jean-Jacques Chastel. This marked a pivotal shift, prioritizing their shared survival over vengeance or sacrifice.
In the aftermath, Jean-Jacques expressed profound gratitude to Vanitas and Noé for saving them both. He vowed that once Chloé recovered, they would live freely and return to aid their saviors in turn.
As vampire hunts escalated, the Catholic Church fabricated the Beast of Gévaudan to justify extrajudicial killings. Investigating these atrocities led to Chloé's family being massacred by the Church. Public suspicion then turned to Chloé, with rumors accusing her of controlling the Beast or being the Beast herself. A violent mob targeted her, dismissing Jean-Jacques's attempts to defend her. Witnessing this hatred, he concluded the villagers' collective terror had created the Beast, and the hunt would only end with its death. To protect Chloé from becoming the scapegoat, he deliberately became a curse-bearer by surrendering his true name to Naenia, gaining the power to transform into a massive wolf-like Beast to divert violence away from her.
Despite his efforts, the mob's persecution intensified. Jean-Jacques's father attempted to kill him for a bounty, shooting him during a confrontation. Chloé intervened, carrying the wounded Jean-Jacques through the snow. At the cliff's edge, facing the Senate's bourreau Jeanne—Chloé's former friend—Chloé chose suicide by jumping. She survived and, consumed by vengeance, contracted her own malnomen, Millie, Theater of Ice and Snow, from Naenia. This created a closed, repeating dimension within the Silver Forest, trapping Chloé and Jean-Jacques in an endless loop of her traumatic memories. For over a century, fabricated villagers, dragoons, Chasseurs, and bourreaus manifested to attack Chloé. Jean-Jacques, as the Beast, fought and killed these apparitions repeatedly in a futile effort to protect her. During this time, Chloé constructed automatons resembling her deceased family, claiming they too deserved vengeance. Jean-Jacques remained devoted but grew uneasy about her motivations.
A century later, outsiders like Vanitas and Noé Archiviste entered their world. Jean-Jacques drugged Noé to prevent interference and shared his blood, forcing Noé to witness his memories so someone would remember their suffering. As the repeating world began collapsing, Jean-Jacques confronted Chloé about her plan to have the automatons kill her after exacting revenge. Horrified by her self-destructive intentions, he rejected the power he gained as the Beast, declaring he would protect her as himself—Jean-Jacques Chastel. This marked a pivotal shift, prioritizing their shared survival over vengeance or sacrifice.
In the aftermath, Jean-Jacques expressed profound gratitude to Vanitas and Noé for saving them both. He vowed that once Chloé recovered, they would live freely and return to aid their saviors in turn.