Parahumans

"'Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.' (Romans 5:3-4; New International Version)"Parahumans or Powered Humans make up around 10% of the world's population. Despite the majority of Parahumans being female (~56%), around 51% of both heroes and villains are males. This is probably due to the fact that there are much more female vigilantes than males (~60%).

Origins
Parahumans began popping up after The Second World War, perhaps influenced by Adolf Hitler's manufactured "Übermenschen" super-soldiers. The first confirmed Parahuman was discovered in Bielefeld, West Germany in the year 1950. His name was Walter Krämer, and seemingly disappeared off the face of the Earth after he revealed himself to the public.

The Parahuman War
In March of 1953, martial law was declared in the United States after a parahuman calling himself "Wilder" seized control of The White House and attempted to establish a Free Parahuman State within the United States' borders. Parahumans were rounded-up and processed into interment camps with the help of Anti-Power Bracers, created from a Parahuman with nullification powers' processed Aura. The war ended with the death of Wilder and an agreement between the Parahuman rebels and the United States government to recognise them.

Since then, relations have been rocky but overall not overly violent, even when powered individuals go out and cause terror, due to The Vanguard being established in 1975 to uphold justice.

Vietnam War
The American entered Vietnam in 1965 and after three years of waiting, Parahumans were finally allowed military service in a first-of-its-kind brigade, known simply as The Parahuman Brigade. Led by a Parahuman nicknamed Dragonfly, the Brigade ended the Vietnam War in an American victory over the course of a week, much to the world's shock.

Aura
Everyone, even powerless folks have an Aura, also known as the Human Energy Field (HEF). Aura manifests as a "shield" subconsciously used to help survive otherwise deadly forms of trauma. Only parahumans have a measurable, semi-physical aura. Their auras are said to have a "high-vibration, royal blue aura", though the colour may change based on several contested factors: The Aura of parahumans is strong enough to shield them from physical harm, given an upper-limit which is different for each person. Some parahumans may be able to shrug-off bullet wounds all together, while some may more closely resemble mundane humans in terms of durability. Aura is also believed to be what gives parahumans their unique "power sets", though its origin is currently unknown.
 * Personality
 * Power Level/Type
 * Mood
 * Concentration of Energy

Cultivation and Acquisition
The actual "origin" of powers is unknown. Some believe it to be a blessing from God, a curse of some sort or that it's the next stage of human evolution. What we do know is that there is a genetic predisposition to becoming powered, meaning that there is a "powered gene" somewhere in the body that simply 'turns on' at some point, that point usually being when the person is put under extreme stress. This breaking point is known as one's Awakening. It is impossible to trace this gene until it is already activated.

Powers can be shaped, but not changed. This means that through training and upbringing, a Parahuman can learn to utilise their power in new and unique ways, but will never spontaneously develop all-new powers. There is some evidence that points that there is a "second stage" to powers, meaning some can enter a Second Awakening, increasing their power immensely... At the expense of their mental well-being.

The vast majority of Parahumans have only a singular "power". Some are born with two, known as Hybrids, but never more than that. Sometimes, actually identifying a power isn't very straight-forward, since a power can entail many attributes to make up its "whole", but generally the heroes in old comic books who are invincible, can fly and shoot lasers out of their eyes are purely fictitious in nature.

Powers seem to reflect some hidden fear inside their owner, and can be used to overcome said fear... Meaning that most Parahumans tend to over-rely on their powers. On the more 'theoretical' side of what we believe, Parahumans' power seem to be influenced by the personality of its user. According to some, the relation may be the other way around; people are influenced by their powers.

Awakening Sub-types
There are several "sub-types" of Awakenings, as categorised by the Parahuman Investigations Unit:
 * Natural Awakenings: The "standard" Awakening. At some point in life, usually in adolescence, a parahuman will gain knowledge of how to instinctively utilise their powers.
 * Traumatic Awakenings: Parahumans who go through sufficient mental or physical power may "unlock" their powers earlier than they would naturally occur. Although often times more powerful than those who Awaken naturally, Trauma-induced Parahumans gain little innate knowledge of how their powers work and function, making them quite volatile.
 * Divergent Awakeninings: Often involving a mass-burst of energy, Divergent Awakenings are a subset of Traumatic Awakenings known for causing horrific amounts of damage, scarring and possibly mutations to bystanders and the environment surrounding the newly-awakened Parahuman.

Parahuman Neuroscience
As discovered by The Doom Disciples, using research reverse-engineered from McNulty Biomedical Engineering documents, Aura seems to originate in parahumans's enlarged pineal glands. As a parahuman matures, they eventually undergo an "Awakening", which allows the manipulation of their personal Aura.

As described by Prophet: "The Awakening is akin to the opening of one's Third Eye in oriental cultures[...]"

The attempt at forcing an Awakening to occur only yielded results once The Doom Disciples had found a subject with a pre-enlarged pineal gland. Further research also indicates that this factor also is what gives parahumans restless nights and frequent, vicious nightmares.

The Doom Disciples attempted to push Harvey Lewinski and Kiara Briar to their physical and mental limits, in hope of creating a "Second Awakening" in them. Although successful, only Harvey survived testing, with Kiara going berserk and having to be "put-down" by authorities.

Prophet hypothesises that: "[...] Harvey simply had the will to keep going, over the girl." Monitoring his brainwaves showed a heavy spike in pineal gland usage during the Second Awakening process, followed by a sharp decline in all brain activity after several hours.

Mutations
All Parahumans are born with some sort of visible minor mutation that separates them from the rest of Humanity, some more visible than others. It can be an odd hair colour, eye colour, odd-looking skin or even stranger. The worst off tend to be rejected by society, while the best can go throughout their daily lives without anyone thinking they were walking alongside a powered person.

A common mutation among parahumans is a higher stature and increased muscle mass compared to mundane people. This is most likely related to the enhanced strength and endurance that all parahumans possess. This can make some look intimidating and almost unreal—akin to a large athlete or bodybuilder. These are known as "heroic proportions" and are a status symbol in the superhero community.