THE MOMENT
Gilbert felt normal all his life, up until he got a free tattoo on his 42nd birthday. He was moderately successful as an architect, and was even well known on the city council. He lived a quiet life with his wife and kids, who were currently at home setting up a surprise party. He didn't know that for sure, but it was an easy enough guess. He'd received a birthday voucher for a free tattoo earlier in the week, and he was eagerly encouraged to get the tattoo, and be gone for hours, on the day. And now, the artist made conversation while working. He was convinced he was being pranked at first, but Mundo, the tattooist, easily dismantled his doubts with solid proof and a friendly smile.
"So... you changed your name to Mundo.. because you're Unique Soul #37, El Mundo? Do I have to change my name to Calambria, or whatever?" Mundo, a heavyset man with sparse green wisps combed like a full head of hair, shook his head with a grin. He wore a tight-fitting t-shirt with his thick arms covered in various tattoos. The most prominent one was the Earth with the number '37' under it; he was currently inking a skull on Gilbert's shoulder, with the number '42' already outlined.
"You're a 'Calavera'," Mundo corrected him. "You don't have to change your name. It's something most Mundo's do as a result of our Ability. When I was Awakened, I learned all about myself and the rest of the Unique Souls. Mundo's are kind of like the information desk of the multiverse. We help other Unique Souls," he nodded at Gilbert, "learn about themselves."
"Okay, you get all this knowledge, and you're also the spirit of the Earth...," Gilbert said. He'd already seen plenty enough proof of that. ".. what do Calaveras do? What's my power?"
"Calaveras are the physically strongest Unique Soul. Now, it's not a strictly linear power scale, but you are a 'C-Tier' Calavera, the lowest tier there is."
"So... I'm the weakest of the strongest?" Gilbert chuckled. "What does that mean exactly?"
"As a baseline, the lowest tier. You..." Mundo said. "... have enough power to destroy the world."
"...Do I?" Gilbert asked. It seemed too amazing to be true, but he trusted Mundo by this point. "I don't want to...," he added with a worried tone. He thought about pulling away so Mundo couldn't complete the tattoo, but he also didn't want to make any sudden movements.
"I won't say it can't be done accidentally," Mundo nodded. "But, it's kind of hard to do unintentionally. It's not necessarily raw strength. Although Calaveras are the strongest, their power comes from their dense soul. From an outsider's perspective, if they were to ever see it and somehow survive, a Calavera destroys an Earth by essentially punching the ground. The real trick is, when their fist makes contact, they use the force of their soul to impact the Earth's core directly. Otherwise, they'd just open a crater."
"So I have enough power to destroy the Earth. But.. if I'm the lowest tier... how much stronger can they be?"
"There's Flutter," Mundo nodded with a chuckle. "You'll probably learn all about her. Everyone agrees she's the strongest Calavera there is, and she's super friendly."
"Yeah?" Gilbert asked. "How strong is she?"
"Strong enough to fly through the sun," Mundo nodded.
"...what??" Gilbert was astounded. That wasn't a normal power level at all. The disbelief was apparent on his face, and Mundo was quick to try to put him at ease. "Oh, yeah, but I mean, don't compare yourself to her. On top of being at the top tier of Calavera power, she's also half dragon and half fairy."