CATALYST「CHARLES XAVIER」

ϟ PROLOGUE

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C A T A L Y S T

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"Love never dies a natural death.

It dies because we don't know
how to replenish its source.

It dies of blindness and
errors and betrayals.

It dies of illness and wounds;
it dies of weariness, of witherings,
of tarnishings."

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Mankind, they destroy many things, because they fear many things. At times they can even fear themselves, which almost always ends in their own destruction. But mostly, they fear the unknown, and they teach others to fear the same. From her first breath, the first moment she opened her eyes, and to her first memory, one thing was consistent.

     Diana was taught to fear the unknown. She had to fit into the puzzle that was society. She had to tread carefully around others, because being out of the ordinary was frowned upon. So she grew to be a cautious child, delicate with certain things, and calculating each step she took forward.

     Then she grew to be a cautious person, still the same delicate touch and calculated steps. It was almost as if she was able to shape shift, moulding herself based on the person she is faced with. It was good. Diana was able to change, but not every part of her. She was able to keep parts of herself that made her who she was. Though, all things come to an end and things are constantly changing, including herself.

     She didn't know when it started to happen, but if she had stared for long enough, there would be sparks that would ignite between her fingers. Each time, she would put her hands away and tell herself it wasn't real.

     It wasn't real because it would never be possible. Humans aren't supposed to be able to do that, biology class hadn't taught her that humans can produce electricity. But no matter how much she tries to tell herself none of it was real, the more real it was. It would be very apparent when she was distressed, but thankfully to her, it was nothing major.

     Until one hot summer's night, she was still young, 14— maybe 15. She walked home from school, deciding to make a stop to buy something. When she left the shop, that was when she saw the boys. There were a couple of them, maybe four. All seemingly young but still older than her. They stared at her with preying eyes, calling her things her mother would slap her for even trying to say.

      So she decided to walk faster, stress, fear, and panic building up inside of her. That was when she felt a hand grab her arm and yank her backwards. She couldn't even hear their taunts, she was too focused by the sudden surge of energy coming through her body. She stayed still, scared of herself and the people taunting her.

      The next thing she saw were pure white, and then there were four bodies on the floor. Panic quickly poured into her, the thought of having killed was overcoming her. Not even knowing if they were dead or not, she ran. As fast and as far as her legs can take her, each step she took, the more she hoped nobody else saw what had happened in that empty street.

     She ran home, up the stairs, into her room and locked her door. And for the rest of her life, her powers only grew and grew. She can feel the amount of energy doubling each day, to the point that she felt a ticking time bomb. The sensation only struck fear into her heart, as the more she suppressed it, the more she feels it build up inside of her. That surge of energy felt destructive, as if she was only meant to destroy from the first breath she drew.

     If only she knew when she first opened her eyes that she would be capable of such destruction. She had never killed people before, nor destroy an entire city, but with the energy inside of her balling up, she could almost see it. See what she would eventually end up doing, causing mass destruction, killing many, stripping families from their homes. It ruined her.

     So it was her duty to stop it from ever bursting, she had to suppress it and keep it from ever coming. And ever since what had happened, she became curious as to why she had these abilities and later became determined to find out if there were others like her.

     And her goal to find out about people like her became a drive, a drive that led her to be one of the few to be able to work as an agent for the CIA. Albeit she was a woman, in a world where men ruled, she had made a place for herself there. Although no man would admit it, she had made herself indispensable to the CIA.

     While she continued her pursuit of finding others like her, she continued to serve the CIA. Although not always agreeing to what they ask of her, it's what she has to do to survive and what allows her access to unlimited information.

     Diana Cho was a careful, precise, and charming agent. Strict and almost cold, she had a certain charm to her, and her ability to quickly adapt and pretend becoming a great asset in her pursuits.