This article is about the character from the Abel's Story arc called Devin J. Mernstar. For more information about the Undead character named Devin, see Devin Soulstealer.
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Childhood[]
Devin's early years were far from pleasant. His father left home shortly after his birth, apparently after taking one look at his son. This abandonment left his mother in a state of despair and she would spend most of her time gazing out the window, possibly in hopes that her husband would return.
Devin's mother died of a fever when he was about five or six, her mysterious last words being:
"You f___ing bastard! It's your fault he left! I never wanted you, any of you, I should have killed you like the others!"
This did not do the young Devin much good.
An orphan, Devin was taken into the care of his uncle and aunt, a distant couple who looked after him out of a sense of duty rather than love. Seeing others such as Abel who had genuinely loving parents caused Devin to realise what he was missing and he became bitter, which ultimately led to him tormenting the young Abel over his wings, which were considered a deformity among other Beings.
Lost siblings[]
As mentioned above, it is implied in strips #50 and #51 that Devin was not the only child conceived of his mother and father, but simply the only one that wasn't killed.
Devin's father was of unknown race, but his son's unnatural colouring combined with the implication that his father had killed many potential siblings who somehow didn't meet the mark and that he finally gave up and left upon seeing his son for the first time makes it very possible that he was a disguised Angel. As per the Hybrid Genetics arc, the Angel race has been encountering difficulties siring more Angels - that Devin was born without backwings may have been what caused his father to leave, though this is purely speculation.
Adulthood[]
Nothing is known of Devin's early adulthood since Devin's attacks on Abel were one of the main reasons the Rewanz family left their home village for Zinvth, the demon city.
It is known that when he grew up he became an adventurer, and taking a vow to protect all Beings regardless of any personal prejudices, he met up with the dalmatian Xander.
Amber has an interesting anecdote[1] regarding one of his missions during this period:
"Cantiv is a city that is known for its active theatre. In fact, the reason Devin was there was to help investigate what seemed to be a possession of one of the star actresses.
It ultimately turned out to be the work of a jealous suitor who had paid an angel for a magical necklace in which to try to control the girl.
However it didn't work quite to plan as the necklace in reality only allowed control by the one who created it: The angel.
And as such, the angel was then using the actress to do his dirty work. While Devin and Co were able to remove the necklace and lay a smackdown on the angel, it did come at the cost of a few lives...including that of the suitor.
But that's an unimportant aspect that will have no bearing in this comic. But now you know. :3"
Devin's Last Stand[]
Devin's next appearance in the comic follows the funeral of Abel's childhood friend Cynthia, one week after the aforementioned incident at Cantiv. While Abel was walking home through the forest he was waylaid by Devin and Xander who were looking for a Creature responsible for a series of murders in their village.
After being convinced that Abel was not responsible for the attacks, Devin reasons that other adventurers will not be so forgiving and decides to escort him to an outpost close to the border with Zinvth. Unfortunately they discover that the Creatures have got there first. The resulting battle leaves both Xander and Devin dead.
Devin briefly reappeared as a ghost[2] in the second part of the series, but was later revealed to be a dream-manipulation of Destania's. He may be the same as the undead character Devin Soulstealer
Trivia[]
- It is implied that Devin is homosexual, although this may simply have been a running joke with Xander. Amber has suggested that Devin's true sexual orientation has not been revealed.
- Rumour on the street is that Devin is an asshole.
- Contrary to popular belief, Devin's blue feline appearance does not indicate a link to Destania or any other member of Dan's family. As Amber put it[3], "Dan and Devin have no shared physical ancestry. I didn't realize how close to Dan appearance-wise Devin was until he was coloured. I personally think he looks more like a furry gay Nightcrawler."