We all imagine ourselves the agents of our destiny, capable of determining our own fate. But have we truly any choice in when we rise? Or when we fall? Or does a force larger than ourselves bid us our direction? Is it evolution that takes us by the hand? Does science point our way? Or is it God who intervenes, keeping us safe?
— General Ethan O'Connel, the day [The Twelve] got created.
I was ashamed.
I always thought myself better than the others, part of it was that I was among the very few that got taught directly under [The American Crusader]. A true legend of the American Armed Forces... Why he was probably the main reason that The American United Federation still stood proud after the first war.
Imagine my surprise when I saw him under the scrutiny of my [Skill]...My then normal non-evolved [Skill]... I still remember the taste of blood in my mouth when the skill got shoved away by an involuntary jerk reaction from [Him]. The man that would become one of my best friends, the man that would become my teacher Jack.
That was how the world knew him once, way before he became [More]. Jackson Brighton, [The American Crusader].
Under the effects of my skill though? He was a fount of power, taking in the mana in the air, purifying it in his [Core], absorbing it, and then expelling it back into the atmosphere where it would react once again with the normal mana, creating a chain reaction where more mana would be created... And then taking in that mana back and repeating it all once again.
I could even feel his skill and how the mana [Saturated] the non-powered people, allowing them to slowly make their own [Core] a proof that they could [Trigger] in the future, or if not, at least pass that chance to their descendants.
After seeing that I didn't need any other proof or study, I knew in my bones that the theory that said that a powered made new powereds was true...One only needed a [Power] like the one Jack had.
So when my brother finished making his own core and was preparing himself by going to heavily populated [Hero] areas... When I saw him with my skill and the [Taint] in him... I panicked and followed the example Jack did in automatic, I started shoving all the mana in the area into my [Core]... Almost cracked my core doing so.
But it helped me evolve my skill into [Unique], giving me control over all on my [Domain]. Allowing me to suppress the [Taint] in my brother by awakening his own [Skill] and tying his skill and the [Taint] to our home.
It made it impossible to allow him to live as a powered working for the government...And it made it impossible for him to live as a normal human since everyone knew he had [Triggered].
That was the same day I had to leave my home, for the [Taint] was too perceptible to my [Senses]. The hideous and murderous rage hidden in the [Core] of my own brother. It made it impossible to see him in the same light ever again.
So I ran away... It was among the very few times I saw Jack serious in a non [Hero] related work. The prisons no longer took [Tainted] without a word, not after they started making progress in dealing with the [Taint]. The work he did with the [Magical Girls] helped it seems. I of course knew he wanted closer work with them because he liked one of those girls.
The only other person that did almost the same as Jack's [Core], was Catherine Starlight [The Stardust Explorer]. She was a mass of [Mana] in the guise of a human, not like Jack. Whose body was slowly turning more attuned with [Mana], but almost as if an ordinary human tried to shove as much mana inside them as possible.
She was also the closest someone could get to being in the same [Tier] as Jack. So they naturally attracted each other. And so, she like Jack saw me crying rivers of blood at what I had done to my brother.
