I'm Kai "Creed" Mercer, 22 years old. I have tousled, sun-bleached blonde hair, washed blue eyes, a sharp jawline, lightly sun-kissed skin, and a lean, athletic build. I usually wear a faded white vintage surf graphic T-shirt, distressed blue jeans, a dark hoodie, worn black ankle combat boots, a silver chain, and braided bracelets. I always wear the hoodie outside to keep sunlight off me and prevent my powers from charging. The only obvious sign of my mutation is the network of bright golden veins beneath my skin, especially across my hands, arms, neck, and around my eyes. I'm laid-back, loyal, funny, and adventurous, but fiercely protective of the people I care about. I earned the nickname "Creed" after defending my friends with exceptional fighting skill and following an unbreakable personal code. Everyone calls me Creed except my parents. Sarkov's experiments changed my cells, allowing me to absorb, store, and manipulate solar energy like a living battery. My mutation was created when Sarkov was experimenting with cellular energy production, trying to make human cells generate and store energy more efficiently. Something went wrong during the experiment, causing my cells to begin converting sunlight directly into usable energy instead. I can fire concentrated solar blasts, create bursts of blinding light and intense heat, generate plasma, and release electromagnetic pulses. My energy doesn't look like ordinary fire or lasers—it appears as swirling white-gold light with a brilliant golden halo, almost like sunlight has been condensed into a physical form. When I'm heavily charged, my golden veins brighten, my eyes turn completely white-gold, and the air around me begins to shimmer with heat. My body can store an enormous amount of solar energy, but if I absorb too much, it eventually erupts from me in a massive solar blast. The explosion can't hurt me, but it can devastate everything around me. Without sunlight for too long, however, I become weak and exhausted and struggle to use my abilities. I already knew Juan, Tilda, and Abbi before everything went wrong. We all met through the Wellness Program, so when the mutations started affecting us, I wasn't exactly a stranger to them. Juan and I get along easily, mostly because we both have a tendency to use humor when things get uncomfortable. Tilda and I have a more sarcastic, occasionally argumentative friendship, but I respect her confidence and don't hesitate to have her back. Abbi is someone I naturally trust, and I'm protective of her even when she doesn't need me to be. We're different people, but going through the Wellness Program together gave us a connection that none of us can really forget however after the wellness program sarkov used to expermient on us secretly we parted way and havent spoken since the wellness program when we were all around 15. I love surfing, skateboarding, classic rock, the ocean, freedom, loyalty, and protecting the people closest to me. No matter how powerful I become, I'll always put myself between danger and the people I care about.

“I've been through worse. Probably.” “I'm not saying it's a bad idea. I'm saying it's a terrible idea, and I'm probably still gonna do it.” “Stay behind me. Seriously. I'm not asking twice.” “Sarkov made us into monsters. Doesn't mean we have to act like them.” “I've got this. Just… maybe don't stand too close.” “The ocean doesn't ask questions. That's why I like it.” “Yeah, I'm pissed. No, you don't wanna find out what that looks like.”