Powerless

6:00 AM hit, and I began preparing for school. My parents are often away due to their jobs, so I wake up early to cook breakfast and lunch for me and my sister. My sister, Aiko Kiyotaka, is only two years younger than me; she is 15. We attend the same high school. Although there are high schools specifically designed for people with special Regalia, I, as a Tier 5, do not get to attend them. Those schools tend to admit Tier 2s and above, and in some special cases, Tier 3s if they have exceptional talent. While a school like Zenith Academy of Regalia Training sounds fun, I attend an average high school that focuses on academics. 

Aiko has big dreams of being a researcher and uncovering new cures so people can live happy lives. I am not as noble or as hardworking as her. My hard work extends to helping her achieve her dream. My only goal is to earn enough money to survive; after that... well, I'll figure it out once I get there. 

"Aiko! Wake up!" I called out. My sister always wakes up late, probably due to her excessive studying and overbooked schedule. Aiko, with her short, jet-black hair cut into a stylish bob, groaned as she pulled the covers over her head. Her almond-shaped eyes, usually a bright and alert hazel, were half-closed with grogginess. Her petite frame was still curled up under the blankets, and I could see the faint freckles scattered across her cheeks as she reluctantly peeked out from beneath the covers.

"I'm coming, Natsuya, give me a break!" she replied. 

"I would believe your words if you didn't pull this stunt every day!" I retorted. 

Aiko finally dragged herself out of bed, grumbling all the while. After a quick breakfast, we headed out the door together.

We walked to our high school like every other day. The walk isn't bad, about 23 minutes each way, making for a 46-minute commute daily. Driving would be easier on my legs, but the massive increase in the population of Azuria, especially in its capital city, Azul, has made it overcrowded, so walking seems like the more reasonable choice. 

A new fear has emerged among everyday people: a rogue Regalia user causing havoc and injuring many. While a gun is usually enough to neutralize most Regalia users, each city also has a Tier 1 Regalia user to handle more serious threats. This security measure deters most people from causing trouble, but, as in any civilization, problems still occur, and Regalia has only exacerbated the issue. Some individuals believe they are special or that their Regalia will miraculously awaken in a perilous situation, giving them a big head and causing trouble for others. Those people really watch too much anime! Personally, I have never gotten into any altercation with a rogue Regalia user, and I pray I never do!

"Hey, Aiko," I started, breaking the comfortable silence of our walk.

"What's up?" she replied, looking up from her phone.

"Do you ever wonder what having a powerful Regalia would be like?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

She raised an eyebrow. "What's this all of a sudden, Natsuya? You've always said you don't care about owning a powerful Regalia."

"Well, I've been thinking. Everyone treats Tier 1's like they're special. And the Elite or Ascendant tiers? They're practically treated like royalty."

"You missed King Tier," Aiko pointed out.

I shrugged. "No one has been given that tier in the last hundred years. Makes me wonder why they even created it."

"Maybe someone did have that tier once, and the government covered it up. I mean, it has to be there for a reason, right?"

I paused, considering her words. "You're pretty smart, Aiko. I never thought about that. But I guess if someone were King Tier, they'd be treated like the literal king of the world."

"I'm not so sure, Natsuya. Maybe it's the opposite. With that much power, every country would want to eliminate that threat, even their own. When you can single-handedly take over the world, everyone sees you as a danger."

"You make a valid point, but I still think it would be cool!" I said with a grin.

"Gaaah! You're so childish, Natsuya!" Aiko exclaimed, exasperated. "I'm fine with my Regalia. Marginally faster regenerative abilities are cool! And I want to do science anyway, so a strong war Regalia isn't for me."

"Healing one day sooner from a tiny cut isn't exactly a cool ability, Aiko. Hate to break it to you. And why call it a war Regalia? That sounds kind of awful."

"HEY! I get to be super healthy one day sooner than you! That's good enough for me," she said, huffing. "And it's called a war Regalia because that's all Azuria values. We literally have schools designed solely to strengthen individuals and their Regalia for war. If you ask me, that's a gross misuse of government money. They should invest in science."

"I guess you've got a point. Maybe powerful Regalia isn't all there is to this world," I admitted. With that conversation, I put my wondering thoughts about Regalia to the side as we arrived at school. I waved my sister goodbye and headed to class.

As always, I was dozing off in the lecture. We were learning about the first Regalia user and his weak ocular power. I felt like we were kindred spirits in that sense, both sharing an ocular Regalia, both weak. It must have been way cooler when you were the first, though. Even though we were kindred spirits, that did not make me any more interested in the topic, so I continued dozing off. My sloth began to win, and I actually started to get a little sleepy. Finally, lights out. 

I was suddenly woken up by a massive alarm in our school. The room filled with a flashing red light emanating from an alarm, and the speakers suddenly blared, "Evacuate the school! A rogue Regalia user has infiltrated the school. Authorities were not capable of stopping him. Please avoid him at all costs and find safety!" 

I felt an immense rush of adrenaline in my body. I began running immediately to my sister's class, Aiko. 

The teachers yelled at me, "Natsuya, WAIT! Let me evacuate you! Don't go off on your own!" 

I ignored her. It was nonsense to begin with. What if she guided us directly into the user? If anything, we should all run for it, free-for-all. Every man for himself. 

As I was running to my sister's classroom, I began to hear screams and a loud booming sound. 

As I neared the corner, I saw pools of blood where students had been injured. No bodies, just injuries. That's good. As I ran down the hallway, the sound grew louder and louder. I also saw that doors had been broken into, and below them were puddles of water? What I glimpsed from inside the classrooms made me want to puke, but I couldn't stop. I had to focus on my priority right now. It seemed like the rogue user was trying to do as much damage to as many people as possible in the least amount of time. This was disgusting. 

When I was close enough to see my sister's classroom, I was mortified to realize the sound was now originating from there. As I crossed into the classroom, I saw a man with a twisted smile pointing his finger at people, seemingly shooting extremely fast water droplets at anything that moved. He was injuring, not targeting to kill—just to hurt. But when his finger reached my sister, he smiled as he pointed directly at her head. My world stopped. I was helpless. 

"AIKOOOOO!" I yelled. I couldn't do a single thing. I was helpless... 

In my desperation, as my world stopped, I heard a whisper caressing my ear. 

"You who holds the power to see all, blind. Ironic." 

"Help," I whimpered. It was the only thing I desired. The only thing I could think of. 

"You who holds the power of the King has the power to save yourself and everyone else." 

"....." 

"All you have to do is SEE. Command what you see and create your own power." 

"Please I beg of you, help." 

In that moment, my ocular Regalia exploded in power. The world moved slower; the water droplet fired was barely leaving the horrid individual's finger. As I took all of this in, I realized not everyone is worthy to own a Regalia, and yet everyone has the right to one. As I felt now, I had the power to stop him. To stop all wrongdoing. Maybe, just maybe, I could change the world. No more pain, no more evil, no more war. As I looked at the droplet, I began to see the individual atoms that composed it. The energy I was using was immense. 

Finally, I commanded the world to stop the water. Energy engulfed the area, forming a circular shield in the trajectory of the water droplet. In an instant, the extremely powerful and fast water droplet hit the shield, blasting it to the side and denting it. 

Since I had taken in all of my surroundings, I moved fast to knock out the intruder. He was still stunned by what had just happened and did not react to my attack. Using my Regalia once more, I wished for a weapon, and when I reached him, I had a bat in my hands. He tried to react by creating a shield made of water, but he was too late. I swiftly hit him in the head, knocking him out.