When Ezekiel Brent awoke, he could feel pain wracking his entire body. His eyes looked to a bright light, his vision clearing itself slowly before he realized that he was in a hospital bed. He inhaled, sighing at his fate as he glanced to his side, seeing Jebediah and Raphael, the older of the two asleep in the chair and the younger simply staring at the floor.

He hated seeing his boys like this. The Captain of the Ritter was a righteous man, and he took in each of these young men because he knew that they could benefit not only the civilians around them, but the entirety of Germany. His dream of overthrowing the corrupt powers that threatened another world war was inching ever closer as he trained this boys in the ways of the Sternritter, their peace loving ancestors that rebelled against villainy many years ago.

"Do not look so glum."

Raphael looked to him, Jebediah not stirring at the sound of his voice, his sleep far too deep. The pink haired Ritter smiling somberly at the sight of his Captain awake and well.

"We lost him, Captain. Eros is Fallen."

Ezekiel chuckled at that. The term 'Fallen' was something that the Ritter used to refer to Heroes that turned Villain or those that strayed from God in their quest for self gratification and materialism. To describe Eros, their Ace, like that was truly saddening. Although, it was also funny.

"What happened after I lost consciousness?" he asked, and Raphael's fists balled, his knuckles turning as white as his skin as the memories poured back.

"We fought Eros. He made it seem easy, Captain. He didn't even use his Quirk to a fraction of it's ability. Just simple… physical dominance."

Ezekiel sighed at this, not surprised. Eros was always one to challenge himself, limiting what he could do purposefully to enjoy a battle. There was no Glory fighting for God if you could simply choose to Smite your foes without resistance.

Despite being younger than Till, and smaller than him as well, Eros was the most physically gifted of them. It was unusual, as his Quirk nullified a need for physical exercise, it's almost infinite ability and utility making Eros a one man army, something the corrupt forces of Germany would love to have on their side.

"It is alright, Child. You all survived. What of the others?" he asked, and Raphael sighed.

"Everyone's injured and beat up and there's a huge mass of land that's been leveled by the villains. We… we only survived because of Eros." he said, and Ezekiel looked to the ceiling.

"The Fallen Angel repents, does he not?" he mused, more to himself than anyone else.

Raphael sighed. "I don't understand. The reports say that he just turned on them with two other villains and laid waste to dozens of these beasts. Why would he fight us? Is he truly so demented that he'd use his own brothers as a warm up?" he asked, and Ezekiel could only sigh.

"Eros is a very unusual young man, Raphael. You of all people should be aware of this." he said, and the pink haired Ritter could only sigh. He knew that Eros was special, but no amount of incredible power could help Raphael comprehend what went on in the mind of the purple haired villain.

With his allies hiding out at a neutral location, Eros decided to take a trip into town and visit the injured UA staff and students. He had told Kendo and Dabi that it was simply 'a trip to the store', the trio having a distinct lack of food, water and shelter.

These things meant nothing to Eros of course, as his mind was laser focused on one singular person. His legs carried him passed patients, doctors and visitors alike as he made his way for the room of Kyoka Jiro. She was his Angel, and he wanted to make sure that she didn't suffer irreparable damage. That would be the last thing he'd want.

When he entered her room, he noticed that she was alone, the bed across from her empty and cleaned as if the patient in it had been long since released. Her head shot up to look at him, and she immediately froze in place, Eros lifting his hands.

"I mean no harm, Angel of Sound." he said, and she diffused a little as she carefully watched him take a seat at her side, inhaling as he finally got a good look at her.

She was every bit as beautiful as he expected an Angel to be. Soft features, well kempt hair and nails, eyes that reflected light very well. He smiled, leaning back in his chair and sighing.

"This is the first time that I can talk to you. I'm almost hesitant to speak." he said, and she narrowed her eyes.

"What do you want?" she asked, and Eros tilted his head.

"Simply to talk. I believe I've earned myself a conversation after eliminating as many of those villains as I did." he mused, and she couldn't find it in herself to disagree with that.

"I am glad to see that you suffered no damage in that battle save for burns to your ear. Those wouldn't have happened had Jebediah remained in control." he mused, and Kyoka could only listen.

"The damage that he suffered was mostly superficial as well, he exerted a ton of energy that made it easy to defeat him without hurting him too much. Raphael got off free like you did as well." he said, and then he could only smile.

The smile was unnerving, because she knew that he was going to talk about the two that suffered the most damage, one of which Eros knew full well was the object of Kyoka's desires.

"The blonde, I believe you called him Bakugo? He wasn't put into that tight of a choke, and the grappling maneuver I used on him saved him from friendly fire and only damaged the upper back instead of the neck itself." he mused, and the UA student could only wonder why he loved combat and talking about it so much.

"As for Midoriya, the damage he sustained wasn't harrowing, but he'll be sore for a while. That was simply a lapse of judgement on my part using that forceful of a slam." he mused, and she couldn't take any more.

Her tender earlobes shot out and pierced into his skull, Eros blinking as his vision blurred from the pressure in his temples.

"Unless you want me to scramble your brains right here, keep Deku's name out of your mouth." she said, and he could only give her a goofy, disoriented smile. His mouth hung open as his glazed over eyes continued to roll in his head, his breathing uneven at the pressure she was applying, her heartbeat vibrating his skull.

He carefully reached up and grabbed her extended lobes and carefully plucked them from his temples, his eyes lingering on her as he regained his vision and proper sense of self.

"If I were my friends, I would kill you right here. However, I am not a villain, so I'll forgive this attack." he mused, lightly releasing her lobes as they retracted to her ears. He wagged a finger at her, a smile still ever present on his face.

"I simply want us to get along like the old days. We're fighting for the same ends, just in different ways. I hope that you can find it somewhere in your heart to call for me if you or your loved ones are ever in trouble." he said.

A hand was laid on his shoulder, his eyes moving from Kyoka to simply stare forward, the cold touch a familiar sensation from years and years passed.

"It would be best if you left her to her own devices, Eros."

The rainbow eyed Ritter stood, turning to face his oldest former brother in arms. He held the same depressed look on his face and in his features. "Till!"

Eros could see the dead gaze that Till leveled on him. It was a common look from the oldest Ritter, but it was still dead nonetheless. "The Captain is awake. I merely came to tell Frau Jiro that he is glad that she wasn't harmed."

Eros nodded, a smile across his features. He could tell that Till was in a foul mood, but his combat abilities weren't as honed as those of his brothers in arms, his Quirk far more designed for support than battle. The lack of a lethal Quirk is what kept Till from attacking Eros, and the purple haired villain knew it. He simply sighed.

"Very well, Till. I will heed you and leave the Angel alone. However, I will continue to be a thorn in the side of the X-Force. I hope that at the least you can find it within you to aid me in slaying them for the Fatherland when the time comes." he said, patting Till on the shoulder before departing without a word, his face still covered in that same grin as he headed in the opposite direction of the exit.

He came upon his secondary target, the room of Izuku Midoriya. He was by far the greatest opponent Eros had, despite how easily he was defeated. He knew for a fact that the maximum amount of damage Deku could deal would have caused friendly fire. He held back and Eros was curious about how much.

Of course, laying unconscious in the hospital bed, Midoriya was obviously not that forthcoming. He simply sat in the corner, waiting for the boy to regain consciousness. He needed to know exactly how much he held back, because the thought of fighting him with everything he had was ever so tantalizing.

What did surprise Eros however, was the fact that he had visitors. Two of his closest classmates stopped by, a girl with a round face and a taller, well built male wearing glasses. They saw him, freezing immediately and locking eyes with the villain.

"Greetings."

He stood, strolling over to them and offering them both a handshake. They looked to his hand, fully aware that he was the one who put him in the hospital in the first place.

"I do not believe we've met properly. I am Eros Konigsliebe, the fifth Ritter Der Gotter."

He looked in their eyes, his unique worldview and ability allowing him to see their sins plain as day. The male only had Wrath about him, anger that Midoriya's attacker was in front of him and he couldn't do too much about it in a building full of sick and injured people.

However, the girl with the round face was very interesting to him. She had Wrath about her as well, but there was also Greed and Lust, meaning that she had three sins that were visible to the odd eyes of the Ritter. This also meant that the X-Force could use this girl as a weapon by using Rusalka's Quirk.

Realizing this, he withdrew his hand. "My apologies. I can see that I am between you and your friend. Please, by all means." he said, stepping aside as they slowly walked passed him, his seven colored eyes never leaving as he watched them take his side.

The male's Wrath dissipated when he looked to his fallen brother, but the Wrath about the female was the same, and her Greed only grew upon getting near him. Eros made a note of this, finding it odd.

Was Midoriya the object of her Greed? Or was he the object of her Lust, which spawned the Greed? Was that why her Wrath never subsided? He had far too many questions, and he continued to wonder these things as he departed and exited the hospital, looking to return to his brothers in arms.

"What is Eros' Quirk?"

Till looked to Kyoka, surprised that she'd ask such a bold question. "Why do you want to know?"

She looked to him with a fiery look in her eyes. "He took us all down with sheer physical power. It was like we were fighting an animal." she said, and he sighed.

"High speed movement abilities, superior physical attributes, the summoning of unique swords, complete mastery and manipulation over light, and many, many other adjacent abilities are things that Eros can do. I am not sure that you would understand." he said, and Kyoka could only blink at that.

"Most Quirks let people do one thing. Does he have a hybrid Quirk because of a Quirk Marriage, or is he a science experiment?" she asked.

She wouldn't let it go, because it made no sense why Eros was capable of whatever he damn well wanted to be. She needed to figure out what his weakness was so she could exploit it if needed. She couldn't allow herself to fall that easily again. She couldn't watch her friends get dominated like that again. She just couldn't.

Till looked to her, an odd cross of emotions about his features. "I am sure the Captain wouldn't want me to tell you, but I understand your plight. However, it is a very long story that I am not sure you're ready for." he said, and she sighed, looking him in the eyes.

"I'm in a hospital bed and all of my friends are probably in nearby rooms. We all got plenty of time, Gloomy." she said, and Till's features twitched at the nickname. It was odd for him to emote, but that's how you could tell it was genuine.

It was followed by a somber, lengthy sigh. "Very Well."

He looked to the ceiling, staring at the lights for a moment before turning back to her.

"You are aware that the first human to be born with a Quirk was a Chinese child that could glow, correct? Called the 'Luminescent One', or something similar?" he asked, and she nodded. It was common knowledge that the first Quirks appeared in China, and then slowly throughout the rest of the world until it was so common that it became the norm that reshaped human civilization and society.

"Well, that child was not the first to have a Quirk, merely the first… 'free' person to have a Quirk." he explained, and she blinked.

People always had theories and conspiracies about the origin of Quirks, but that certainly something that she thought had to do with Eros.

"Do you remember when we sad that we all had a common ancestor? And that the base of our Quirk is a primitive ability called 'Star Knight'?" he asked, and she nodded. She did remember that, because Raphael and Jebediah would never talk about it, and Till was not the person you'd ask about something like that.

"Star Knight was… a slave. All three of us share ancestors from World War Two concentration camps." he said, and Kyoka blinked. "Three?"

Till nodded, not a fan of being the one to explain this. "Eros' Quirk is… different, and Raphael's is unique in that it is artificial, but Jebediah, the Captain and I all have ancestors from Buchenwald concentration camp." he said, and she blinked at that. What exactly did that mean?

"You see, the Reich was doing it's best to create Aryan super soldiers, and human experiments were part of that. They thought that by charging and stimulating the body in different ways and trying to rewrite the genetic code of their slaves they could perfect a process that could be used on SS soldiers. Josef Mengele had an interest in this specifically, making it ironic that us Angelic Heroes were experiments of the 'Angel of Death'."

He sighed, glad that Kyoka was remaining silent so he could get through this harrowing tale.

"They created Star Knight through artificial means, and then managed to mass produce the Quirk in Buchenwald, but the Reich was snuffed out before they could create an army of us. As such, the few families that survived went into hiding. Those just so happened to be our families, and that is why Captain Ezekiel sought us all out specifically."

Kyoka could understand that. They all had their Quirks long, long before the rest of humanity, and they stuck together because of it. It was a wild story, that fascist scientists would enact human experimentation until they created Quirks themselves, all for their nefarious deeds.

That made the fact that the surviving, current descendants of those experimented on were Heroes even more impressive. But that still didn't answer her Question. "That doesn't tell me about Eros." she said, and he nodded.

"It is connected. You see, the most odd thing they found in their experiments was a unique genetic structure unlike any other. It was palpable, and contained much less material than normal. It was almost something that defied logic, but they came to figure out that it was more than that."

"You see, they compared everyone's DNA and came to a conclusion. This rare gene was not human. It was some kind of superhuman subspecies that became the focus of these experiments. The origins of this subspecies was… surprising to learn." he said, and she blinked.

A human subspecies? That was the oddest thing he'd said yet, but with some of the Quirks that exist in the world you could almost call every single human being a unique subspecies given the right Quirk or combination thereof.

"They traced it all the way back to ancient times, and still could not find an origin. You see, they could trace most people back to Seth, the third child of Adam and Eve that is the true father of all humanity. But… this odd subspecies did not trace back to Seth. It did trace back to Adam and Eve, as Nazi aligned spies in the Vatican could test against DNA in their secret vaults. This led to a horrifying conclusion."

He sighed, wondering if it would've been better for Ezekiel to explain this. He could make it sound more theatrical, more grandiose than him.

"Since Seth was the father of humanity, the son of Adam and Eve, and this odd genetic code matched the first two but not the father, it had to be inhuman within all technicality. However, if it matched Adam and Eve but not Seth, that left one conclusion. With the middle son, Abel, murdered, this meant that this odd genetic code belonged to the strongest being to ever walk the earth, Cain."

Kyoka blinked at this. There were people that were descended from a different progenitor? She wasn't sure that anything he was talking about pertaining to these biblical figures was true, but if it was she couldn't color herself surprised.

"And these 'Cainites', are naturally superior to most humans because they carry the worst possible genetics within them. The genetics of the first man to Defy God. The man who created murder itself, the progenitor of the Sins of Man. The man who inspired the Devil to disobey the Lord. In modern terms, this makes these odd people descendants of the 'First Villain'."

That made Kyoka's jaw fall slack. There were people with palpable, broad abilities simply because they were children of the first Villain? How on this, or any other Earth did that make sense? Sure Villains were strong, but to have a stronger Quirk just because your oldest Ancestor was the first murderer? That sounded like a bad joke.

Then, it hit her. She understood why he was telling her this. She asked about Eros, and he told her this entire history about his Quirk's origins, the origins of Quirks themselves, and then the genetics of people long before the word 'Quirk' ever left someone's mouth.

"You mean that Eros…"

He nodded, that oddly detached, forlorn look across his pale features.

"Eros is a Cainite, and his Quirk is called 'Konigsreichsherzen'."