Legend of the Avalon Project
an excerpt

The surge happened without warning. Of course, even if it had, no one would have believed it. Those things only happen in fantasy books and manga, not in the actual world. Yet the surge did happen, and no one was prepared for the impact that it made.

It was during spring break, so various college students were either going home, getting as far as possible from home, or really going no where in particular. At this time of the year, the population of California swells ever so slightly, and as everyone knows it is a highly populated place to begin with.

At about 2:00 in the afternoon, it happened. An earthquake, or so everyone thought. After intense research, several scientists concluded that it did not come from the earth at all, but rather it was a great surge of power that swept through southern California until it ran out of energy and simply stopped. However, the strange nature of the surge was not the interesting part; it was what the surge left behind.

Thirty percent of the population had found themselves changed. They did not look much different; the only indication was a slight ribbon of purple around their pupils. Yet all of these people had developed one astounding ability or another. It was as if the comic books had clashed violently with reality, and this small population, these “Magi”, was the result of this convergence.

Thirty-two hours later, the government took action. A quarantine was put up around Southern California, and that border remained, leaving both those affected and those unscathed alone in a place that would soon become Hell.