Adam pushed his way out of the room, fury on his face, and closed the door with a bang, almost breaking it. This was because he and all his children were born with magic. So when Luke did not have any upon birth, he was furious.
Nobody knows where he normally went, only that he came back in a cheerful mood. When his family tried to discover or inquire further about his whereabouts, he always avoided them or told them not to worry about it.
In a random alley in the kingdom of Utopia...
"Will you help me, old friend?" a man in a cloak questioned. "You are crazy for chasing this goal, but in any case you succeed, don't say I didn't help you," a voice in the dark said, "Let's get started,". Two men in black cloaks left the alley and after walking some distance arrived at an abandoned building covered in dust and looked antique."I've called in some favours to purchase this building in your name. The building will be up and running in a few months as I have to get some help." One of the men said. "Why are you helping me with my goal? Isn't this a bit too much, I just wanted the building." the other man responded. "First, I want a return on my investment. Two, for my entertainment. I want to see how far you'll go without being noticed. If you succeed, I want one of the serums you'll develop as repayment. Do we have a deal, Adam?"
"Yes," the other man responded before one of them disappeared in a poof of smoke. He entered the abandoned building looking around before using his power and splitting himself into three people including himself. One of his clones started clearing debris as the other clone went to fetch cleaning supplies. Adam left the area after tasking his clones to clean the building and clear debris.
He returned after a few hours, some books and files in his hands. His clones had finished their tasks and were awaiting new orders. He found a still functional table in the room and placed his stuff. "Now I can begin my project."
10 years later...
Luke can be seen outside training swordsmanship against clones of his father. He was doing well going up against three of his clones simultaneously but he was getting tired from tracking their movements and dodging or blocking their attacks. One of their attacks landed on his hand making him release his wooden sword. He was quickly surrounded by the three clones, all their wooden swords on his neck. It was his loss.
Since the age of 5, he has been physically training himself every day. Due to not having talent upon birth, he was looked down upon by his elder brother and sister, doing all sorts of chores for them even those that required powers. Even after constant scolding, they didn't stop giving him numerous chores.
Today is the day he finally gets tested, after constant bullying from his siblings. Many children were also going to get tested if they had any powers and their ranks. After losing to his father's clones, his clothes were damp with sweat all over his body. He went and took a shower and wore some fresh clothes. His father had already left for his own business and his mother volunteered to take him to the testing centre while his siblings were left with house chores.
On the way, they passed by a store to buy some house supplies and a copy of Polar People's News. The headline said: "Three more people missing. 'The Midnight Scientist' strikes again." "Mother, who is 'The Midnight Scientist'?" Luke innocently asked. "He is...,". His mother began explaining that people were mysteriously disappearing in the middle of the night, mostly around Utopia, but also in other kingdoms. She continued explaining that after a few days, their corpses would be scattered all around the nearby forest, the bodies missing limbs, heads, and sometimes organs.
She explained as they walked towards their destination that they always had a symbol burnt on their bodies and that some Supernatural creatures were also in the mix. Afterwards, a curfew was put up and the kingdom began investigations on this serial killer that popped up out of the blue around ten years ago and decided to call him 'The Midnight Scientist'. She finished explaining letting out a long breath. Luke was terrified of the explanation he heard that sent a chill down his spine as they arrived outside the test centre.
Waves of children accompanied by their parents were streaming in and out of the centre. Some children had happy expressions showcasing their abilities and some sad looks. Luke entered with his mother, both impressed by the grandiose interior of the building compared to their house. There were four lines of children each line with its test. The first test was very simple, testing the strength of each child with a punching machine. The stronger the punch the higher the value with the highest value being 10 and the lowest 1.
The second test was endurance. A machine would fire hologram arrows with increasing speeds and would stop once it hit the tester. The same value system was used. The third test was a vitality test where with the help of a machine, the child's blood would be tested and a result would be produced as either healthy, sick, or terminal.
Terminal children were rare cases where the child in question had traces of Supernatural blood in them and would inevitably get put down or exiled into No Man's Land.