History

From the moment Darius opened his eyes to the world, his parents ensured that he understood the significance of his family’s privileged social standing. Their heritage was forged through blood, sweat, and tears, beginning with his great-grandparents, who fought tirelessly for their freedom as people of color. They endured the tumultuous challenges of immigrant life, navigating the pressures of a changing society to create a stable foundation for their own children. Thus creating a stable starting point for those that came way after– and that included his father and two younger brothers. Countless sacrifices were etched into his family’s name, and Darius has long embraced this legacy with immense pride.

For the first nine years of his life, he had reveled in the role of being his parents’ sole centre of love and attention. But that all changed with the arrival of his twin siblings, Lucien & Estelle. While it had been a difficult transition at first, Darius didn’t take too long to embrace his newly appointed big brother title.

Dario’s childhood was split into two contrasting experiences that balanced both academic pursuit and youthful exploration. During the winter months, he immersed himself in the grandeur of his mother’s opulent mansion back in london. Here, he got to attend one of the most prestigious schools in the country. While he may not have excelled in every subject, he discovered a natural affinity for mathematics, physics, and history, subjects that ignited a spark of curiosity as well as enticing his logical thinking. His mother, Evangeline, was a woman with an infectious spirit of warmth and optimism. A philanthropist at heart, she was a socialite and advocating author, who carried herself with a grand amount of kindness and ambition; to the point could have one look at her and realise she’s got a mind far from the norms and standards set for their times. Eva had sought after women’s rights with many of her writings, visited orphanages, offered a hand to the less fortunate– and those traits of hers have dripped into the very essence of each of her children, especially Darius.

His parents embodied a striking contrast; his father, Dominique, was a well-respected General in the French army, known for his unwavering discipline and rigid expectations. His father believed in the virtues of order, structure and resilience, instilling a sense of duty and admiration in Darius’ eyes from an early age. And yet, despite the ruggedness that he was known for among his comrades and society, his edges always seemed to soften around his wife’s warmth and presence.

However, it wasn't long before the family was struck by a devastating tragedy, intertwined with what should’ve been a blessing. The birth of his youngest brother brought with it the heartbreaking loss of Evangeline. And at just the tender age of thirteen, Darius felt a profound amount of grief, one that pushed him into latching onto his father more than ever.

Enrolling in the military at the age of twenty was not just a choice for him; it felt like an inevitable step in his journey, one that he embraced wholeheartedly. Darius had always admired his father's unwavering commitment to service, and as he approached adulthood, the call to follow in those footsteps became increasingly compelling. He was determined to fall not an ounce short of a perfect soldier; and that was a promise he had kept close to his chest for years to come.

Following the Franco-Prussian War, he was involved in various colonial campaigns, including military actions in North Africa, where he faced the challenges of guerrilla warfare and the complexities of maintaining order in newly acquired territories. Throughout these years, Darius was posted in diverse locations, from the trenches of northern France to the deserts of Algeria, each experience shaping him into a resilient and more confident leader. His career had been marked by a stellar amount of excellence by the time he had been promoted into Captain in the year of 1883– of which his father’s retirement followed, where he sought over some peace of mind, along with his desire to overlook his other three children’s lives more closely.

The years that followed were spent with him travelling from one post to another, writing letters and further developing his bonds with his comrades, and of course, participating in the Sino-French War. It would come to be one of the most significant points in his life, for its harsh impact on his very essence, that he’d very much rather never speak of.