Split

The Vandenburg bloodline had been ridiculed for centuries. While all the other wizard bloodlines had become dominant power players across the world, with their ability to conjure spells, demons, destroy and create, the Vandenburg’s had been relegated as laughingstocks. Whereas the wizarding cabal pulled strings in Berlin, Paris, Tokyo, and even Washington D.C., the Vandenburgs were left to their small, traditional estate in northern Europe. The reason was simple: their bloodline ability sucked.

They couldn’t create fire, or ice, or a familiar. They couldn’t compel others. All they could do was split. Be it a table, or a chair, in at least one war, a person; the one thing the Vandenburg’s could do was split something into two. It had its uses, and the fact that they could do any magic at all put them above the common rabble and meant that the magical societies of the world, albeit reluctantly, had to accept them. Occasionally one of the family would be invited to intimidate or persuade someone for diplomatic or criminal reasons. Otherwise they were ignored.

Things were changing however. Rapidly. The German Eagle was leaping off from its evil roost and conquering continental Europe. At the same time the Japanese Sun was rising over East Asia and the pacific. Karl Vandenburg, the latest heir, wanted nothing to do with the darkness staining the Old World, and started desperately looking for a way out.

His salvation came in the form of a confidential letter, delivered by a jet black raven. A familiar no doubt. Inside the letter was an invitation from the American Magical Society to participate in a special, top secret, project. Karl packed his bags and hopped on a ship, proud in the fact that his abilities would soon be acknowledged.

Kind of, anyway. Most of the Magical Society ridiculed him, aside from one bespectacled young man named Peter. Karl would quickly learn that Peter was the one who invited him. Karl would also quickly learn that Peter was involved in more then one secret organization.

Peter escorted Karl from the East Coast all the way into the Southwestern desert. There he gave him the request that would soon turn the Vandenburgs into the most powerful magical family in the world:

“If you can split anything Karl, can you split an atom?”