When novas emerged across the world, not everyone greeted them as saviors. Despite the pope's edict, Teresa de la Rocha, a devout Catholic, still saw novas as the work of Satan. Living in Venice, Teresa was present when Leonardo, her American-born 14-year-old son, erupted into a reptilian hybrid. Rather than give him the help he needed, she subjected him to an austere treatment of isolation, daily religious readings and corporal punishment. Leonardo truly believes himself evil and eventually acted the part his mother forced upon him. Unbeknownst to either, Leonardo was wracked with taint, but his astounding regenerative abilities allowed him to control its manifestation.