[ In the year 2000, a worldwide pandemic broke out, and it was named: The Cull.
The disease plagued the planet, not discriminating between human or animal or some other lifeform.
Because no matter the environment, no matter the organism, so long as it was alive, it could and would be infected,
No known method to cure it appeared, and the death tolls began to rise. The first year it was a hundred thousand, the next, five times that, the year after, two million members of various species, especially humans, departed to the next life.
By that time, humanity had completely united against the existential threat. Old rivalries were completely forgotten in the possibility of being wiped out by an invisible enemy. Racial boundaries? Country laws? Physical and political borders?
Their significance paled in the face of extinction.
The major symptom of contraction of the Cull was severe mutation on a genetic level that quickly escalated to a system level, leading to death. For other symptoms, simply think of any existing disease and its symptoms, and the victims could suffer from them.
By 2007, the population had dropped to 6.1 million people. Whether they were lowly nurses, minor physicians, or highly renowned geniuses, every man and woman in the medical profession was recruited. Even those outside it were brought in. Engineers, architects, philosophers, pilots, even regular truck drivers.
By 2010, world order began to collapse. Global leaders rose up and died. There were revolutions, wars, rebellions, assassinations. The rule of law no longer mattered to those who deemed themselves dead.
The very next year however, one young scientist discovered an earthshattering, mind blowing fact that everyone had ignored.
'Every human on the planet had been infected to some extent. And forget that; babies are still being born. The Cull wasn't just destroying us, it was changing us at the base level.'
With that single statement as their driving force, the entire scientific community rallied around the young scholar, Pulma, and spent more than a decade perfecting her creation through tens of thousands of experiments and growing technology. She theorized that the Cull was now embedded in almost every living organism on the planet, so the plague couldn't be cured.
But it could be modified. That was where her creation came in: The Cull V-2.
After going through humans, viruses, bacteria, animals, plants, and everything else, they finally led humanity's three billion survivors to a new age in year 2024, when the modifier known as the 'V-20' was finally released into the atmosphere. Since it was built with the Cull's features, it could spread like it too.
As the V-20 was released into the air, Pulma's famous words were recorded by everything present, organic or inorganic.
"Today marks the end of an era of war, pain, and the constant struggle to survive, The Culling Era. It also marks humanity's step into a new age. The Age of Evolution. We are humanity not just for our intelligence, but also our willpower, adaptability, and unity allow us to grow. Change. Evolve."
It took several more years, deaths, and struggling before humanity was rid of the Cull, but after escaping its clutches, the environment turned against them.
After all, the Cull and the V-20 had affected everything else as well.
The entire ecosystem had changed, and creatures, no, monsters arose from it. From the result of countless cut off screams, roars, and battles, the monsters were named 'Mo'. And those of humanity who had gained strange power from the experimentation, evolution and environment who rose to fight the Mo were aptly named, 'Hunters'. And those who rose up to keep the peace amongst the people and fought independent of Hunters were eventually named 'Heroes'.
The powers humanity discovered it now possessed were named Venma ('V' from V-20+the name Pulma+ a lot of time) and soon came to touch all of humanity in this modern era.
Through limited technology and constantly applying themselves, humanity slowly grew back to the heights it had once reached...
Then surpassedthem, taking another step into a new age.
The Age of V. Otherwise known as the Metahuman Era.]
There was a smattering of loud clapping in the classroom.
And it all came from one man. The Hunter Class's homeroom and Mo Biological Studies teacher, Zantos Edris. He then slammed his hands down onto the teacher's podium, on which an apple rested.
An eccentric who was very invested in showbiz, Zantos was slightly crazy, very smart, and very friendly. Uncomfortably so.
"So, what did you guys think? Was it good? I made it you know. That video should have given all of you who paid proper attention and understood the details a fair idea of our past as humans. Before, we were mundane beings that relied on several various weapons and other factors to win battles. Now, even the weakest of us is genetically superior to them. We have more resilient bodies, and are considered 'more intelligent' by some. Quite foolish yes? It's 2203 here, not the Dark Times. Everyone has Venma, so what is the point of arguing about superiority?"
Every student could see Zantos' barefaced distaste, but none said anything out of fear of some strange outburst following.
"Anyways, the most obvious change in human physiology..."
Zantos placed a finger on the top of the apple and smiled.
"Were superpowers. Venma."
The apple split into a hundred mini cubes, which fell onto the plate.
"Controlled by the Electrostatic Pulse, or ESP, our brains produce periodically, our powers caused by evolution vary greatly from individual to individual. Even identical twins have slightly different powers on the surface, but differ greatly when studied. Fun fact, identical twins are always born with Venma that naturally complement each other."
As he continued to speak, many of the students present began to relax.
Maybe I misjudged him, Liam thought to himself, He doesn't seem like that bad of a guy, and he's pretty smart too...
"Also, I'm a retired Hunter. Had enough of being a Sweeper, so I applied to become a teacher here. I know a thing or two about teamwork and building strong bonds between one another."
A few murmured amongst themselves, since it was the first day of meeting each other.
Liam was excited to find out what exactly life as a Sweeper was like. A few others were waiting, expectant looks on their faces.
Then Zantos' face contorts into a terrifying grin.
"Alright class! You guys are meant to be a team in the future, so let's do some team building exercises! First up is the Trust Challenge!
The objectives to pass are simple: reveal your Venma and its Status to your classmates!"
I was wrong! Liam panicked.
This guy's a nutcase!
Liam's mind immediately ran rampant on what he knew about the Venma Status system.
'Venma Status' is the name given to the societal effect your Venma could have, and therefore is strictly a system meant to find and nurture those who get favored, and keep an eye on or control those that scare people. There are two Status Sets, the Favored Status Set and the Feared Status Set.
The Favored Status Set is all about Venma holders whose powers make humanity feel safer, stronger, or inspired.
...And the Feared Status Set is for those whose Venma threaten things humanity considers as fundamental. Each set has five ranks, and they're in ascending order. All the way from 'good' and 'bad' to straight up angels and demons. I can never forget the damn things, considering where I'm placed. That banner I saw on the internet had it, I think. What were they?
Favored Set: Accepted → Respected → Desired → Revered → Sacred
Feared Set: Rejected → Suspicious → Denied → Forbidden → Fallen
Liam sighed as his ears caught wind of people talking about the ranks.
Each rank was roughly a side of a coin.
'Accepted' holders are viewed as ordinary, dependable people whose Venma pose little concern. Their powers can still grow, but most are content living normal lives.
Their counterparts, the 'Rejected', possess powers that are uncomfortable, unusual, or misunderstood. Mutations that caused grotesque appearances and strange body alterations were common examples. They were disliked, but not considered dangerous, so most people barely glanced twice at a frog-headed man.
Then to a larger disparity. Those of 'Respected' Status were those with abilities society relied on. Most could be found in the public services, though others walked their own path.
Rescue workers, medics, firefighters... professions people naturally placed their trust in.
'Suspicious' Status holders are treated exactly like their Status implies. Like they are suspicious people. Maybe they can set trackers down, cast small scale illusions, or something for stealth. Regardless of their nature, most people will think:
They might be good... but what if they aren't? Liam thought as he continued to listen and go over his own information.
The next rankings fundamentally change the perception of Venma when people are designated with such ranks.
'Desired' and 'Denied'.
"The abilities humanity actively seeks." These words defined the Desired Status. Those who possessed it become celebrities whether they like it or not. Those with enough influence or resources could still keep it hidden. After all, Desired Venma where mostly powerful combat abilities, and mostly belonged to the elite from both Hunters and Heroes.
'Denied' however, are the perfect targets to pin the blame on. After all, the Denied share one thing in common: "Abilities that challenge human safety."
Their abilities could spit in the face of peace quite easily. After all, how many Forbidden Venma are truly out there? Almost none. The Denied? Enough to shove problems on.
It was also something Liam was desperate to hide. Not only that, the name of his Venma alone had people's imaginations going wild with the sheer number of possibilities of the hazard to human life.
Liam abhorred the danger it represented, and had decided to try and protect life instead of his Venma controlling it.
The 'Revered' and 'Forbidden' Statuses. One put you in the ranks of demigods, while one puts you in the pits of human rejection.
The Revered possess Venma that inspire awe, hope, peace, and trust. Miracle-level healing, and massive protective abilities fall under this Status. Quite a few Heroes and Hunters possessed Revered Venma, though they were still rare compared to the lower ranks.. The pressure from the people was immense, as they were often treated like royalty.
Meanwhile, Forbidden Venma were extremely few. Which is fitting, as they are abilities humanity believed should never exist.
If a user decided to rampage, they could leave catastrophic scars on humanity-and humanity had grown tired of collecting them.. The few that could be reasoned with were often under strict regulation, and they were treated less like humans and more like living, breathing nukes.
Sacred Status.
Fallen Status.
A Status that represents humanity's greatest blessings, and a Status that encompasses humanity's greatest fears.
Long story short, they are treated like gods.
A Fallen Status hadn't popped up in ninety years, and humanity was ecstatic over the only two Sacred Status holders alive.
The Iros, leader of every Hero in the world and their number one, and his Adjutant, the second ranked Hero.
****
[Note: Venma Statuses show potential not ability. They are based off gathered data on the public response to certain abilities, and are often used to reassure the masses.]
****
"Alright now let's see... I'll have to pick at random! Oh well!"
Zantos thrust his finger forward. "You! Pink hair! Third row! Beside that gloomy boy by the window! Name, and Status please!"
Liam stared at Lisa as she stood up. The entire class stared at her as well. Silence reigned.
"My name is Lisa Manabe. My Venma Status: Denied."
The silence was now twice as heavy. Liam was dumbstruck by her reveal.
"Lisa st-"
"And my Venma, is Hypnosis."