Cameron is the younger brother of Jane and the maternal uncle of John.
Appearance
Similar to his sister, Cameron possesses golden eyes with white hair. He possesses facial hair exclusive to his chin.
Personality
Cameron is the type of high-tier who leans towards traditional hierarchy values. He expects his every instruction to be obeyed, and to be addressed with nothing but the utmost respect. Failure to do either will result in Cameron responding with a show of force, unless he has a very good reason to stay his hand.
Cameron is set apart from others who grew up with this mindset by a more jaded worldview. While he doesn't want anything to do with the world's weaklings, he has no interest in associating with other high-tiers either. Cameron fully understands that his "fellows" only care about him (and his family) in an exploitable capacity, especially within the body of the Authorities. This reality drove him to look out for nobody but himself, living apart from the worries of the world.
Cameron's lonely existence took a toll on him he's only recently become aware of. He appears to regret how his callous behavior led to his vulnerable relatives to suffer at the hands of the Authorities. He's also socially tone-deaf, and delivered tragic news to John in the most jarring way possible. But despite his lifelong self-serving attitude, he's able to recognize and appreciate an act of love.
History
Cameron comes from a family of high-tiers. He and his sister Jane shared the same upbringing, but she forsook their esteemed heritage when the works of an author named William piqued her interest. The writer was a cripple, yet this didn't diminish Jane's inexplicable fascination with him. It got to the point where she eventually set out to meet him.[1] When their relationship blossomed, the siblings drifted apart, and Cameron didn't bother trying to mend the widening rift.[2]
Much like the rest of his family, Cameron spent the better part of his life enduring offers from government dogs who wouldn't take "no" for an answer.[3] He eventually went into business as an Ability Specialist.[4] Independent and isolated, Cameron became a workaholic.
Plot
Hardline
Over a decade passed, and Cameron had taken to spending his time alone in his large abode with nobody but his servant Marisol for company. Then one day, the riffraff that disgraced Jane dared to show his face. He admonished Marisol for allowing his solitude to be disturbed in the worst manner possible, and ordered her to remove him from his sight. William spoke up and said he came seeking Cameron's help with Jane. But Cameron had no affection left for his sister in his stone-cold heart. William made wild claims about how Jane had somehow been abducted years ago and was currently being held prisoner. But Cameron refused to believe that Jane's power failed her in such a crisis and was automatically convinced that any proof William had to the contrary were complete fabrications only a fool would take seriously. He continued to talk down to William, saying that perhaps the author was so wrapped up in fantasies that he was blinded to the likelihood that Jane finally realized what a mistake it was to date beneath her station. William claimed that even if Cameron was right about the death of their romance, Jane would never leave behind the son they had together. This particular bit of news shocked and revolted Cameron, who would never have imagined that his sister would sink any lower, yet surprised that he had a nephew he never knew about. He commanded Marisol to throw William out at once. The so-called proof of Jane's situation was left behind, but Cameron still didn't think it was worth his attention. He ordered his maid to destroy every shred of it.[2]
Rebellion
Few days later, Cameron would eventually get to the souvenirs William left behind, courtesy of Marisol placing it in his study room despite being ordered to rid of it. He only discovered them just now, even though the maid put those photographs there few hours after William visited him. Cameron chastised her insolence, but Marisol insisted since they might be important to him, he ought to at least check it once. He retorted she is not the one calling the shots here, but nonetheless inspected them anyway. He wondered if Jane is really being held hostage somewhere, so he decided to call his brother-in-law. William's phone rang inside his empty household, no one seen or heard in vicinity. Cameron inwardly grumbled on being left unanswered, considering the man is the one who asked for his help, suspecting a foul play.[5]
Uprising
Some times had passed, and the radio silence from William worried Cameron to no end. He had no choice but to make the personal trip to New Bostin to find out what happened to the author. He brought with him some abilities he stored, as well as an expert in seeing spiritual links in case it was necessary. They managed to locate William's residence, but the lack of living being spotted make things more difficult. The only sign of human in that place is that of a trespasser who seemed familiar with the owner. But said trespasser left after barging through the door and announced himself to them, with Cameron kicking him out for interrupting the ritual.[6]
With their guest gone (but not before informing someone of this development), Cameron and Scarlette continued where they left off. Ever the impatient man, he tried to hurry the woman, only for her to shush him up and tell him to wait in the other room. He complied despite complaining about her attitude. The room he went to happened to be William's. It seemed to be devoid of items, even his personal computer appeared to be in a clean slate. That is, until Cameron looked past the surface. He saw a shoe box in the ceiling, wondering what could possibly William is hiding there.
After taking the mysterious box down, Cameron inspected its content. Most of them were photographs from the earlier days of William and Jane's marriage, and pictures of a younger John with them. He noticed his nephew inherited his sister's eyes, a dead giveaway of her being the mother of the brat. Among the piles of images was a letter Jane wrote to William. After reading its content, Cameron pondered about his issue with authorities, lamenting Jane's foolishness in choosing to be with a man weaker than her, ability and social standing wise. Meanwhile, the shaman discovered what happened to the author - a gruesome death at the hands of an officer and his associate. She reported her finding to her employer. He tasked her with tracing the last known whereabout of his brother-in-law. She led him to an empty lot near the hills.
Cameron dug the ground where William was buried. Scarlette commended the ability he had in hand. Despite his denial about what possibly happened to William, Cameron figured the least he could do is giving the author a more fitting send-off. He regretted not lending his brother-in-law a helping hand, allowing his hatred and bitterness to the man for taking his sister away clouded his judgement. Scarlette expressed her sympathy towards cripples, who were consigned with fate not too dissimilar to William, a sentiment shared by Cameron. He mulled on what would happen to John now that both of his parents gone, before giving Scarlette one last job: track the boy down.[3]
Scarlette successfully pinpointed where John is, and left the rest to Cameron. He went to Wellston High, to break the somber news to his nephew. The headmaster welcomed him and summoned John to the office. John, going off by what Adrion told him, balked at Cameron's presence, thought he did something to William. Vaughn defused the tension, introduced the man as his uncle, before leaving so the two could talk in private. Cameron tried to open the conservation with some chit-chat, but John was having none of it. He urged the man to be more direct, which he eventually did, revealing William's death and what happened to him in advance. Naturally, the boy didn't believe him, thought this is some sick prank coming from the stranger. John tried to strangle Cameron, but the man beat him to the punch. They briefly played the blame game, speculated who was more at fault, the cripple father or the god-tier mother. Unable to deal with his tantrum, Cameron shoved the keepsakes from William and his business card to John, telling the brat to contact him once he sorted his attitude. Outside the room, Vaughn scolded him for his lack of tact considering the gravity of the news he dropped on the boy. Cameron fired back, stated he would mind his manners only if John behaved first.[4]
The next time Cameron saw John, his nephew was brought to his mansion by his allies. The boy was in critical condition, and pretty much staring at the death's door. Cameron healed him and left new clothes for him to wear.[7] The next day, he hosted a guest: Seraphina, a close friend of John. One of the first things she did was chastising his drinking habit (that Marisol tried to stop for years). Her scolding annoyed him, who told her to stay in her lane. She suggested his habit stemmed from trying to escape from something. The suggestion left him appalled, but she reasoned that he is the only immediate family of John. If something happened to him, her friend would have no one to go anymore.
The conversation interrupted by John's arrival at the living room. As he and Seraphina had an emotional reunion, Cameron was about to intervene. At Marisol's urging, he aborted his intention and allow the two to converse in private. Some time later, John rejoined him in the study room. He thanked Cameron for saving his life, after Seraphina told him everything. John's improving demeanor and composure gave Cameron the impression his nephew was dating the girl. He then handed John the urn containing William's ashes, and asked him what's his next plan. John told him he wanted to rescue his mother, so both of them can decide what to do with it later.[8]
Relationships
Family
Jane: Cameron's relationship with his older sister was strained soon after she got into the literary works of her future husband. After Jane eloped with the man, Cameron cut her out of his life. Even years later, he rejected the opportunity to find out how she was doing.[2]
Despite this disagreement, Cameron maintained a level of respect of Jane. He has no tolerance for anybody who disrespected her. He viewed her as the sort of woman who could drive back anything the Authorities threw at her. When her current condition finally caught his eye, Cameron wasted no more time in getting to the bottom of the inexplicable mystery.
When he read her letter, he realized just how serious she was about wanting to protect her family. He didn't necessarily agree with her decision to risk it all for some cripple. Even so, he feels that her ultimate sacrifice should be appreciated by those it was made for.[3]
William: In Cameron's eyes, William was the lowest of low-tiers. Even past the conventions of the hierarchy, Cameron bore a personal grudge against William for dividing his family. He maintained this contempt when his brother-in-law showed up on his doorstep begging for help with Jane. Cameron refused to even consider taking a look at the collection of proof that William brought to him, and kicked him out.[2]
By the time Cameron was forced to open his eyes to the truth, it was already too late to change his mind to help. He saw on Jane's letter a message from William declaring his intent to somehow strike back at the establishment on his own.[5] Shortly afterwards, he learned that his brother-in-law was murdered because of this. Cameron appears to regret not attempting to honor such bravery with a helping hand, and makes the effort personally ensure that William's body gets more dignified treatment.[3] He's still quick to blame William for any flaws he sees in John's upbringing.[4]
John: When Cameron first heard about the existence of his nephew, he was repulsed by the taboo of mingling high and low-tier genes.[2]
His later investigation led him to some old pictures of the boy, as well as his name. Cameron found himself moved by the fact that John inherited his mother's eyes. He travelled to Wellston Town in order to meet him.[3] It was a tumultuous first encounter, as the present-day John turned out to be the most outspoken and foul-mouthed brat Cameron had ever come across. His nephew disregarded any decorum in order to levy accusations that Cameron harmed William. Things only got more heated when John heard of his father's death, which led to an argument about which of his parents were worse. Cameron cut the trip short and foisted off some mementos before telling John to get in touch when he stopped acting immature.[4]
Employees
Marisol: Cameron's relationship with the hired help is a one-way street. To him, she's just there to keep his place tidy and follow his orders, not a confidant. He does value her to the point where he'll allow an overreach or two from her, which gets him help he didn't realize he needed.[2][5]
Others
Phoenix White and his medium sidekick.
Scarlette: Scarlette is an old acquaintance of Cameron's, who possesses an ability he finds useful in uncovering facts he himself cannot obtain. He's impatient with her work, and doesn't like how she speaks brusquely with him at times. But he overlooks this because her expertise is the real deal.[3]
Vaughn: When Vaughn and Cameron met each other, they spoke cordially to each other. The headmaster of Wellston was able to voice his disagreement with Cameron's methods without offending him. Cameron was willing to consider his advice on how to speak with John, but only after he got proper respect from the teenager first.[4]
Adrion: Adrion was just some stranger who in the wrong place at the wrong time when Cameron first met him. Cameron gruffly told him to flee for his safety, unaware that he was a close friend of William and John.[6] His later meeting with the latter was inadvertently complicated by his harsh treatment of Adrion.[4]
Seraphina: Seraphina visited Cameron's residence after finding out what happened to William, her friends, and John. His first impression of her is that of a young woman who was keen to stick her nose where it doesn't belong. He reconsidered his stance after realizing her reason for meddling with his personal matter was out of concern for his nephew. Her interactions and overall effect on John caused him to mistake her for his lover.[8]
Powers & Abilities
Channel Master: Cameron's presumed ability. The only certainty about his power is that when it debuted it was more advanced than John's own Aura Manipulation at the time. As evidenced by his eyes lighting up only when he was about to use an ability from his set, Cameron does not immediately lose access to abilities he's copied when he powers down.
Copied Abilities
X-Ray Vision: Cameron used this ability to search for hidden clues in William's place of residence. It can detect both objects and people through solid matter. It's not clear whether he can use it to make out details, or if it's linked to vision at all. Landscaping: Used to raise the dirt covering William's corpse. It may in fact be a generalized telekinetic ability that he only used to move aside earth.
Notes & Trivia
- Cameron first appeared in the story when Claire had a vision of him and John encountering each other for the first time just outside the headmaster's office.[9] It would take over two years (of real time) for the premonition to come to fruition.[3]
References
- ↑ Chapter 299
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Chapter 291
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Chapter 327
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Chapter 328
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Chapter 319
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chapter 326
- ↑ Chapter 345
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Chapter 346
- ↑ Chapter 231