The Problem with Power

Prologue: A Legacy

The city was dead.

Streets, once bustling with the activities of the everyday person, now torn up, cracked, unused. No person had walked here in a while. No lights shone in the windows, skyscrapers now dull and lifeless, stood, like black monoliths, dominating the skyline, which in itself, was hidden by the early morning fog that clung to the landscape, blanketing everything in a dull haze of grey monotony. Overall, it was rather miserable, shame this place was once New York, a proud centre of an era long gone. Much had changed in 10 years.

In the year 2012, something had happened to the human race, an event which shook the foundations of belief, logic and basic scientific understanding. No one knows how it started or where it came from, what they did know, and would live with for years to come, were the consequences that followed. War, unrest and power struggles had swept across the planet like a disease, devouring countries with vigour, so that soon the entire world was plunged into a period of darkness. This period, however brief, left a terrible scar on humanity.

All this, due to something once thought left to children's books and that, was magic.

Well, the masses whispered that it was magic, but the reality is, people began developing strange powers, but this came with some consequence. Those over the age of 70 or those with an ailing body, died within the first few days of the event. Many speculate that they could not contain whatever energies this event brought within themselves. Next, the adult population, those that could retain the energy within their bodies, gained supremacy, many fighting in the wars which consumed the planet for the next two years. Hundreds of millions of people died or became something much less than human. Whole cities became mass burial grounds, charnel houses to the mass slaughter. Many however became beasts, creatures which surged with power and a lust for violence.

But that was 10 years ago, now the younger generation, who would be in their thirties by now, had to deal with the consequences. These people had their powers develop near the end of the war. Many of these individuals banded together to create a global authority, naming itself the Institute for the Global Regulation of Powers, or IGP for short. The few who didn't follow their rules and regulations regarding the use of powers were swiftly dealt with, however it was realised that most of the human population at this point was fond of using their powers to right. In response, the IGP developed the "Legal Combat" scheme. A system of Gladiatorial style combat in which people could settle serious disputes, such as territory claims or those involving money. However, many people mainly fought for the thrill of it, which eventually got worked into the law. These combats took place in stadiums which held many combat arenas, built in each city in the world, so that everyone could have access to them.

This not only resulted in a massive drop in violent crime rate, but also a drop in world-wide malnutrition as those who were unfit saw regular exercise and training. This system was also made mandatory in schools around the world, where each had their own combat studio for training, but combats were forbidden there, as they weren't considered a legal venue.

However, enough with the back-story, the times were changing and humanity was living through a golden period, but it wouldn't last for long. Events were changing which would steer the human race back into chaos, and it all started in a small state school, a little rural town on a small, wet island known as the United Kingdom.