It's Darkest of All Before the Dawn

I Let My Dreams Tie Me Down

Not everyone was born with powers. Amongst the world population, only about thirty percent was composed of "super" beings. It wasn't magic, it wasn't a mysterious asteroid or a worldwide virus, it wasn't some secret government research gone wrong or the influence of a parallel dimension.

It just... happened.

It was a natural evolution, scientists and experts and researchers assured. With the world slowly falling apart – climate change, rise of the ocean levels, damaged ozone layers, overpopulation, pollution, mass production, fauna and flora alike going instinct at an alarming pace, etc, etc. – it was only natural that humanity would instinctively seek to protect itself. All of the "powers" recorded throughout the past few decades could be linked, in one way or the other, to the animal kingdom - superhuman abilities that are actually derived of what different species can naturally do, be it thermoregulation or enhanced regenerative abilities, for example.

Though frightened by this unexpected development, it didn't take long for everyone to realize that fearing the unknown wouldn't lead them anywhere – even more so when they were informed that even if they got rid of any who gained powers, only more would appear, because evolution simply wasn't something that could be stopped.

(Many were also convinced to figure out a more peaceful way than outright annihilation to deal with the situation seeing as all experts agreed to say that, in fifty years from now, they'd go from thirty percent to fifty percent of the world population being affected.)

Powers could be developed at any given time throughout childhood and adolescence, but there was no record of someone developing powers past the age of twenty-five. It could happen randomly, or it could be triggered by a traumatic event, and there was simply no telling if there was a limit to the kind of abilities that could be uncovered.

All in all, the development of powers was completely unpredictable, which made it even more difficult to manage. However, the world government eventually came to an agreement in regard to the measures that should be taken to deal with those people, who earned the name "Variants".

The moment a person developed a power, they became a ward of the world government, regardless of their age. They were taken to a special facility where, for a time that could range between weeks and months, they would undergo a series of tests and evaluations that would ensure they wouldn't become a danger to others or to themselves. Once the Variants became able to control themselves, they would be given a choice – be reinstated into society and become civilians, meaning they would never be allowed to use their powers again, or begin to train in order to become Heroes.

With superhuman abilities popping out left and right, it was only natural that bad people would only become worse and, unfortunately, normal weapons and artillery wasn't always effective against the rebelling Variants. As such, the world government came up with an easy enough solution: fight fire with fire.

Heroes became special law enforcers directly paid and handled by the government. It was a job regarded with envy and pride, and Heroes were absolutely adored by the civilian populace, who could now go about their lives without worry knowing such powerful people were looking after them, and it didn't take long for Heroes to become almost the equivalent of Idols – popular, influential, and practically worshipped.

Heroes had secret identities, meaning they could still go around as civilians during their days off. However, many took up other gigs on the side, such a modeling or acting or other jobs that allowed them to use their popularity to make more money – but all in all, Heroes were still allowed a life outside of their duties, hence why the project was so well accepted by the civilian populace.