| “ | Don't bleed for others if they won't bleed for you. | „ |
| ~ Acolyte stating his motto. |
Acolyte (real name Alex Reznov) is a major character in the Gray Chronicles series by CashLannister. He is a twisted and grim member of the Cenobites, as well as Jeff the Killer's most hated enemy aside from Pinhead himself.
He is played by Norman Reedus.
Early life.[]
Raised on a farm in Russia, Alex had a good childhood with his sisters and his parents, Caroline and Luke. Although Luke suffered from PTSD during his time in the army, he was still a loving father and husband, albeit stern. Alex remembered working a lot on the farm, although he grew sick whenever his mother and father killed the animals, such as chicken or pigs, for food.
His parents were well known critics of Vladimir Putin, seeing him for the tyrant he truly was. An opinion Alex agreed with whole-heartedly. However, they would sadly gain Putin's attention by saying these things. One day, when Alex was 12, Putin's army bombed their farm, killing all the animals and nearly incinerating Alex's house. What Alex saw when he awoke scarred him forever. His mother, father, and sisters were all dead. He described it this way:
| “ | There was meat coming out of where my dad's face was. My mom was in different pieces, my sisters were just piles of ashes! | „ |
Utterly broken and alone, Alex wandered away from his ruined home, and walked to Siberia. He spent the next year living in the woods, killing animals and drinking their blood to survive. Having to resort to violence in order to stay alive destroyed what was left of Alex's sanity, making him a feral shell of his former self. Shortly after he turned 13, Alex stalked a woman, attacked her, and pushed her into his campfire. He then proceeded to eat her. This woman was the first human Alex ever killed. Later that night, Alex was visited by none other than Pinhead and the Creeper, two of Zalgo's generals. Pinhead explained that Zalgo and he had watched Alex ever since his family died. Alex confessed to the Cenobites that as time went on, he grew fond of killing for his own survival, saying that he became thrilled by it. Delighted by this confession, Pinhead made a proposal: if Alex joined the Cenobites, and pledged his loyalty to Zalgo, he would kill as much as he wanted, and survive. Alex accepted without hesitation. On this day, Alexander Reznov died, and Acolyte was born.
He became Creeper's apprentice, who subjected the boy to brutal training methods. At one point, he stranded Acolyte in Antarctica for a week, his only company being the assassins Creeper hired. However, Acolyte cheated death once again by killing the assassins one by one, earning Creeper's respect. Acolyte also earned Zalgo's respect for his intelligence and viciousness. Indeed, he became one of the Old One's favorite enforcers, almost a grandson-figure to him. However, despite his loyalty to them, Acolyte held no affection for his masters, seeing them as nothing but a "meal ticket."
Zalgo also told Acolyte that each Cenobite had a rival among the Proxies. Acolyte's rival was Jeff the Killer, who had not yet joined the Proxies yet. However, Acolyte eagerly looked forward to the time his rival revealed himself.
Meeting Jeff the Killer[]
In 2014, Jeff the Killer finally joined the Proxies. Once Zalgo informed him of this, Acolyte was prepared to attack him immediately. However, Zalgo informed him to stay patient, and attack Jeff when he was ready. Acolyte begrudgingly agreed.
In 2019, Jeff and Acolyte finally came face to face. As per Zalgo's orders, Acolyte's men captured 78 children to serve in the Cenobite Army. Acolyte had no desire to follow through with this command, but did so nontheless, and took them to his home in Alaska.
After they were shipped away to Pinhead, Jeff burst into Acolyte's tower. The Lion of Death and the Bat of Genocide were both equally skilled fighters despite Jeff's superior strength and Acolyte's greater speed and magical skill. In spite of all that, Jeff got the upper hand and removed Acolyte's mask. Jeff, laughing sadistically, sliced Acolyte's face with his claws 78 times, what Jeff considered to be justice for the children Acolyte captured. Impaling him on his own tomahawk for good measure, Jeff promptly left the facility. Four hours later, however, Acolyte used the Nezperdian magic his master taught him so as to heal himself. However, he was horrifically scared by Jeff.
A Quest for Vengeance[]
A year later, Acolyte hatched another plan for his Cenobite masters. He set up his base in Guatamalea, waiting for Jeff, Clockwork, and Jeff's army The Pride was coming for them. To the shock of Jeff and Clockwork, half of their forces were killed by an explosion Acolyte rigged. While the surviving Proxy and Cenobite grunts were fighting each other, Acolyte dueled Clockwork and Jeff. After about an hour, Acolyte slashed Clockwork through the heart with his axe. He stood there, waiting and watching as Jeff held his dying wife in his arms. Once Clockwork was dead, Jeff attacked Acolyte full force, the two rivals literally tearing each other apart, inadvertently killing all of the soldiers around them. Finally, Acolyte shot Jeff with his bazooka and dropped him off of a cliff, feeling triumphant and laughing over the fact that he finally got his revenge. With that, Acolyte left his rival to die.
However, Acolyte knew that Jeff was still alive. Partially due to his healing factor but also because Jeff kept himself alive just by focusing on his hate for Acolyte. Impressed by the sheer hatred that consumed his rival, Acolyte eagerly waited for their next battle, excited for what was to come.
Personality and traits[]
Acolyte is a walking, talking example of a human who has lost total faith in society and the world. After his entire family was murdered, Acolyte murdered animals and even humans and ate them in order to stay alive, but later on he did it for his own pleasure. He is cold-blooded, sadistic and relentless. If Acolyte wants to kill someone, he'll stop at nothing until they die. Acolyte enjoys playing mind-games on his victims, too. For example, Acolyte followed a man to his house and stayed with him for about an hour. After assuring the man that he was going to live, Acolyte sliced him apart with his tomahawk. That being said, if Acolyte kills innocent people he will make their deaths instantaneous, and he seems to enjoy striking fear into people and inflicting pain than killing them. Acolyte's feral viewpoint led to him having no true enjoyment of killing, but rather sees it as a natural and even normal thing to do. In a way, he thinks like a shark or any predatory animal.
Deep down, Acolyte is an extremely miserable person. He misses his family, and he hates himself for turning into essentially a rabid animal, feeling that he's shamed his family. He still honors them by making drawings of them and hanging them around his house. He tries to numb his pain by getting blackout drunk and deliriously high on marijuana, but once he becomes sober, he falls further into grief and depression. He barely interacts with other people unless he's giving orders, following orders, or killing.
He has a strange fascination with Jeff, seeing him as a kindred spirit. Despite his fury at Jeff mutilating his face, Acolyte respects him as a warrior and refuses to kill him because he finds him "interesting". In turn, Jeff, despite frequently mocking Acolyte, also deeply respects him and even feels sympathy for him, suggesting that he abandon Zalgo, something Acolyte vehemently refused to do, miserably stating that he had nowhere else to go.
Trivia[]
*It is hinted that Acolyte seeks to join forces with Jeff. What he plans to do if they do team up is unknown, but it is likely for them to both get revenge on the people that wronged them.
*His theme song would be "Under the Graveyard" by Ozzy Osbourne.
Torn-Flesh said that his ideal voice actor for Acolyte would be Robert Englund.