The year is 2025.
Everything was normal—until June 1st.
That was the day of the event later known as Falling Powers. Several meteors tore through Earth's atmosphere and struck the planet. Some shattered on impact, scattering fragments across vast distances. Within days, people began to change.
They started manifesting abilities.
No two powers were exactly the same.
To manage the chaos, a grading system was created to measure strength: Levels One through Ten. Only one person has ever reached Level Ten. Abilities can grow stronger through use, allowing individuals to climb the ranks over time.
The government moved quickly, demanding that all powered individuals register. It didn't go well.
Now, the country is at war.
The government controls the southern half, maintaining order with both military force and their own powered operatives. The northern half has collapsed into lawlessness—a fractured territory ruled by gangs, rogue ability users, and cults. The most powerful of these is the Bright Light Religion, whose followers believe their leader, known only as Light, is a divine being.
But near Sterling Heights, Michigan, there's a man who believes he received nothing at all.
And he couldn't be more wrong.
Roughly one month after Falling Powers…
Josh stood outside what used to be a party rental company, smoking a cigarette. Thirty-four years old, unshaven, with long dirty hair and worn-out clothes, he looked like a man the world had already forgotten.
All he wanted was a peaceful life.
He hadn't seen his daughter since everything fell apart. She had gone south with her mother, where things were safer. Josh wasn't allowed to follow—his past made sure of that.
The old rental company had changed too. Its owner, Joe, had awakened a Level Five strength ability and turned the business into a "help-for-hire" operation. He brought in two other powered workers: James, who wielded Level Three fire abilities, and Tom, who had Level Two super speed.
Josh had no powers.
But Joe kept him around anyway. They went way back. Josh would've died for him—and Joe knew it.
Behind the building sat a small settlement of about sixty people trying to survive. Josh never stayed with them. He preferred the roof. It was quiet. Isolated.
Peaceful.
That day, he leaned against the wall, finishing a cigarette. He'd just returned from a job—cleaning up bodies—and this pack was his payment.
As he took another drag, James and Tom approached.
James looked sharp, dressed clean, a knife strapped to his waist.
Tom matched the look, but with a katana at his side—and a smirk on his face.
"How you doing?" James asked casually.
Tom snorted. "Same as always. Being a waste of oxygen."
Before Josh could respond, Tom moved.
In a blur—faster than the eye could follow—he was in front of Josh, slamming a fist into his stomach and pinning him against the wall.
Josh's breath vanished.
As his eyes squeezed shut, he saw something strange—
A flash of purple.
What do I do? What do I do? his mind raced.
James stepped in quickly. "What are you doing?"
Tom snarled. "Stay out of it. I just wanted his cigarettes."
He held them up.
James laughed under his breath and shook his head, walking away. He wasn't about to pick a fight with Tom—not even for Josh.
Josh trembled, anger boiling over.
"Not again… damn it!"
He lunged forward, throwing a punch—but he was too slow.
Tom sidestepped effortlessly and drove his fist into Josh's face.
Time slowed.
Josh saw it again—that purple spark at the moment of impact.
This time, he felt it.
Something entered him… sank deep… and formed into a small sphere within his core.
Then everything went black.
When he woke, he was lying on a table inside the building.
Joe and James stood over him.
"Finally awake," Joe said, his voice softer than expected for a massive, bald man with an axe strapped to his back. "How's your head?"
Josh groaned. "I just… need a minute. Alone."
Joe nodded. "Alright. Take it easy." He and James stepped out.
Alone at last, Josh closed his eyes.
He focused inward.
That's when he saw them.
Not one—but two spheres of energy.
One pulsed purple.
The other glowed a faint green.
He reached for the purple one first, pulling energy from it. Small sparks flickered through his body. He felt slightly stronger. Slightly faster.
But not by much.
Then he noticed something strange.
He could move that energy… into the other sphere.
Curious, he switched focus.
When he tapped into the green energy, everything changed.
Speed surged through him.
Not just speed—Tom's speed.
Josh's eyes snapped open.
"Does that mean… I can copy abilities?"
He steadied himself, thinking it through.
"Only one way to find out."
He redirected energy from the purple sphere into the green one.
The power intensified.
Level Two… rising.
Level Three… almost Level Four.
Josh let out a slow breath.
"So… I copied Tom's ability at Level Two… and my main ability leveled up just by doing it."
A small grin crept across his face.
"This could change everything."