Origin
Kael Dawnros was born on Aethon, a planet orbiting a binary star system — one white dwarf, one young blue star. Aethonians evolved to absorb and store stellar radiation as a biological function, making them living batteries of cosmic energy. When Aethon's two suns entered a catastrophic gravitational merge, Kael's parents launched him toward Earth — not as a baby, but as a teenager, meaning he arrived with memories, grief, and a half-formed identity.
Powers
- Strength from any star — but varies wildly by type
- Light-riding — he surfs beams and ambient photons; indoors he's slower
- Solar flare burst — a full-body pulse, not a precise beam; has a cooldown
- Tough, but heals rapidly rather than being impervious — he can be hurt
- Spectrum sight — sees all wavelengths, including emotion-linked bioelectric fields
- He remembers his world. Kael mourns Aethon consciously. He carries survivor's guilt, not just a mythic origin.
- He can run dry. Extended time in darkness (underground, deep space, indoors) slowly drains him. He's not a god — he's a rechargeable being with real limits.
- He distrusts worship. Aethon had a caste of "Lightborn" who were treated as divine and it led to corruption. Kael actively resists being seen as a savior figure.
- His secret identity is genuine. As Marcus Vane, he's a documentary filmmaker — someone who tells other people's stories so he never has to center himself.