The Maledictus
The world is currently facing a grim epidemic—an alarming increase in the birth of Maledictus, also known as The Cursed Children.
Cursed Children are typically identified at birth by their unnaturally colored hair and eyes. However, what truly sets them apart manifests around the age of six, when their abnormal abilities begin to surface. Families who give birth to Maledictus children are often ostracized, shunned, and even banished from their communities. As fear spread, the global birthrate plummeted—people too afraid to risk bringing such a child into the world.
Every day, the news is filled with chilling reports: families wiped out, cities ravaged—all allegedly by children, sometimes even infants. Though in truth, such violent incidents are rare, society has branded all Maledictus as a universal threat, no matter their nature or intentions.
Out of this fear, a man named Curtis Whitaker established a specialized institution: Maledictus Academy. It didn't matter what the children wanted—or their parents. Attendance was mandatory. Every Cursed Child, upon turning six, is forcibly removed from their home and enrolled. If their powers emerge earlier and cause an incident, they are taken even sooner.
Graduation from the Academy doesn't mark freedom—it marks conscription. Every student is required to serve a minimum of two years on the front lines of the military. For a select, unfortunate few, their service never ends. These are the ones chosen for ALPHA—a unit where death is the only discharge.
In families with more than one Cursed Child, only the one who demonstrates the greatest combat potential is sent to the military. The others are relocated to designated neighborhoods, isolated cities built exclusively for Maledictus and their families. But even in these places, safety is an illusion—they may still be drafted into ALPHA at any moment, at the whim of the government.
Once drafted, there is no retirement. No promotions to comfort. No true compensation. The pay is abysmal, the conditions harsh, and the consequences of refusal—either life imprisonment or execution.
So no... There was never a choice.Freedom was always just an illusion.