Five years ago The Shift occurred. A very small portion (.01%) of the world's population began developing super human abilities known as Aptitudes. Eventually it was discovered that people only develop Aptitudes exactly when they turn 17, though the Aptitude does not manifest right away. As young people started to Change and gain these Aptitudes, there was much chaos and confusion. People were afraid of Changed and what they could do with their powers. Many cities became battle grounds for the new Changed. Eventually this culminated in what became known as The Awakening War. Shortly after the war, surviving Changed, lead by Alchemy, formed the organization known as Paladin. Paladin worked to give Changed a place in the world by allowing them to work for Paladin as Vassals, or finishing their mandatory time at a Potential Academy and returning to their normal lives. A genetics development company called Trigen began devoting much of its resources to understanding the Shift and Changed. While they were not able to discover the cause of the Shift, they did discover that people who do Change do so at exactly 17 years old. They also developed a test to determine if a person will change or not. This test is now mandatory for all teenagers on the day they turn 17. If they test positive, they are sent to one of Paladin's Potential Academies to be trained in how to develop and control their Aptitude. Though five years have passed, many people are still recovering from the losses in the Awakening War, and many more people still do not trust Changed because of the power they have. Though Paladin is generally respected, or at least tolerated, many people are openly prejudiced towards Changed.