Chapter Text
Kayden had once taken the name Anders. A surprise for the ones who had known her, to see a young girl with poor beginnings rise above her station in life and Marry one of the richest men on the east coast. Max Anders was 25 when she was 18, and she married him out of highschool. They were a happy couple, Max the heir to a medical corporation with ties to Cauldron, and Kayden a skilled architect. Both were in high demand, and they both sought to make their hometown of Brockton Bay so much more than it was.
The city was ravaged by the conflicts Between Boston and the many Cauldron Bases south of Brockton Bay. Boston, Headed by Eternas, was known for its brutality. Eternas killed thousands, butchering Boston. He could pass his soul on to whomever killed him, rendering Eternas immortal. He held immense power over Fire, and could burn the city to the ground if he so chose. The Southern Brockton Bases were headed by the most powerful of Cauldron, Hero and The Siberian both holding the line of Brockton. Max had had a dream of repairing Brockton Bay, Making it a haven of peace. He had the money and favor to get medical items from across the planet, To distribute and create miracle cures to the ill, to help people.
But Eternas came to Brockton Bay.
He had held his own in Boston for years, and many had awaited the day he would attempt to take Brockton, to rip it from Cauldron and claim one of the last free East-Coast cities. When news came that he had arrived, the Siberian attempted to stop him. They fought for hours, Hero holding the rest of Eternas’ forces back with specialized gear. It looked as though the City would remain free of Epic lords for years further.
Then The Siberian was killed.
The Siberian had remained a symbol of Parahuman power for nearly a decade. Then, That day in 2006, The Siberian simply popped out of existence as William Manton was shot in the back of the head. He had been traced to The Siberian, and The Siberian fell. As The Siberian fell, so too did the Parahumans of Brockton Bay. The defense was forever scarred as Hero’s eye was plucked from his skull, A portion of his jaw ripped off with it. Even after extensive surgeries, Hero’s scars would symbolise the fall of Parahumans on the east coast. Brockton Bay had held far more than any other city to date, and it was taken by an Epic Warlord.
The people of Brockton Bay likely wouldn’t have cared if not for Eternas being who he was. Eternas was brutal, and cared little for others. He ripped apart anything in any city that would better the lives of its citizens. Eternas did not fear death, and was thus near immortal for his power. Eternas felt others died due to weakness. He felt in order to live, one must fear death first. He hunted people for sport, placing them in games of cat and mouse, and killed almost all. Resulting epics joined or died. Parahumans were slaughtered.
Max wasn’t just in danger, he was target number one for Eternas. A rich Medical company CEO, whose father was killed in the attack that killed The Siberian. Max was placed in a rigged game of cat and mouse, forced to kill others to survive. He was skilled, and against most fighters he would have won.
Max wasn’t just facing anyone though, he was forced to face Eternas’ head lieutenant. His Right Hand.
Lung.
The only Parahuman to join an Epic, Lung had not only betrayed thousands, he had butchered anyone he was pointed at. Lungs power to shift into a dragon had earned him a level of infamy only the worst warlords could claim. Even the Butchers of Johannesburg held little in terms of sheer strength compared to Lung. He was little more than an impotent servant in the eyes of the public, claiming women and forcing Epics below him into servitude.
Max gave it all he could, and triggered for the effort. He fought to survive, and fought till he bled from his feet, till his Power could draw no more steel from the earth, till his heart gave and he fell at the young age 31. He fell claiming his title of honor, and died a hero. Kayden, however, Died the day Max did. She became more. An Epic. She became light, Capable of infusing herself with light, capable of becoming a god . And her first actions would be in honor of Max. Her husband, and the one who had guided her to a better life.
Osiris fell first. He was an Epic with the ability to turn to sand. He became little more than glass in the face of her rage. Isis, his wife, was butchered in the view of the city as she ripped Eternas’ forces into nothing. Lung tried to resist her, and was turned to dust for his failure, ripped to atoms by her energy beam. Finally, she reached Eternas. And she did the opposite.
Eternas was frozen in time, all energy pulled from his molecules, until he was little more than a statue, unable to respond to the outside world. Not even ten minutes into attacking Eternas and his people, she had won. However, she felt a necessity, a need to claim the city and protect it. And so she did. She rebuilt the city, allowing for the people to regain themselves. And if she claimed her tribute? That was merely her price for saving the city. This finally came to a head when she had to force the people of the city to give their tribute. If they didnt want to give it peacefully, she would take it by force.
The city was Hers! NONE COULD BEST HER! But she realised that that arrogance would only see her downfall. And so, she could not allow it to best her. The city was hers, but others would try to take it. It was up to her to protect it. She did so for Max, and would do so until her dying breath.
Even if it meant her life, Brockton Bay would stay safe. No Matter the cost.