Death was an ordinary thing in the heavens. Perhaps, to clarify, not an ordinary thing in the heavens themselves, but instead an ordinary thing that the heavens were aware of.  Able to see all, able to hear all, the heavens had seen much of death.

Far too much of it.

Out of the many realms governed by the heavens  (not that they particularly did much, simply watched and send the occasional great flood or messiah when necessary), the realm in which the planet that referred to itself as 'earth' had become very dark.

The humans of this realm one another at every corner, fueled by hatred formed from due to minor differences between them. Murders, violence, , abuse, genocide... the negative energy of this world was overwhelmingly dark. Aside from this, the humans had begun to mistreat even their home planet, hunting the other creatures to near extinction, filling the air with smoke and ash, choking out the life from the world. 

It appeared that the world had gone dim.

So the Council of the heavens held a meeting. It was their responsibility to govern, to watch, to send that aforementioned occasional great flood or messiah when needed.

They have gone too far, Council. We must purge the humans.

We cannot simply stop their violent actions with more violence, Council. There must be another way.

We should send a child. It has worked for this realm in the past.

Send another child, Council? The last one was killed on a cross for his attempts and praised for his death, yet merely a few millenia later, violence reigns once more.

We can send many children. To satisfy the split of the Council as to eliminating the humans or attempting to save them, the children can decide the fate of the humans together.

Council, many children? Many children who can perform miracles? Raised by humans, they will simply become violent and cruel like their caretakers, Council. This is no compromise - the children will burn the world to the ground.

Or, they will bring peace. The humans have lived in peace before - let them try once more, Council.

How many children should we send? Sending one has failed in the past - one was not enough millenia ago, he was killed on the path to peace. We must send more. A team of powerful beings.

But how will they find each other, Council? They will not be raised alongside one another - their powers would draw too much attention to themselves and they will be killed off as mere infants.

They will find each other. Power will always seek more power. But more importantly, questions will always seek answers.

And we shall not send them at the same time. We will distance them in age, but close enough for them to be brothers.

Once more, Council, how many should we send?

Twelve. We shall send twelve children. 

On a spring day in 1990, the first child of the heavens arrived.

The next child arrived not even a month later.

The others followed soon after.

And the path to peace or destruction began to pave its way.