Regalia Power of the King

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 thousand 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 seemed to halt, I heard a whisper, barely louder than the wind, yet it carried a weight that pressed down on my soul.

"You who hold the power to see all, yet remain blind. How poetic."

"Help," I whimpered. It was the only word that escaped my trembling lips, the only thing my fractured mind could form.

The voice chuckled darkly, a sound that sent chills racing down my spine. "Help? You beg for aid when the very power to command creation lies within you? Do you not see the irony of your pathetic cries?"

"Please..." I begged, my voice a broken plea. "I don't know how."

"You don't know how?" the voice hissed, laced with venomous disdain. "How pitiful. You are the vessel for a power unrivaled, yet you grovel like a worm. Listen closely, blind one, for I will not repeat myself."

My breath hitched as the voice grew colder, heavier. "To see is not merely to perceive. It is to dominate. To bend the very fabric of existence to your will. That is your gift, yet you squander it in ignorance."

I froze, the weight of those words sinking in. "Gift? I... I don't understand."

The voice scoffed, its tone dripping with mockery. "Of course you don't. You were chosen because you are weak enough to be molded, yet strong enough to awaken what I could not."

My heart raced. "Who... who are you?"

"Who am I?" the voice echoed, a bitter edge to its laughter. "I am the origin of your power."

"Why me?" I whispered, tears streaking my face. "I can't... I don't know how."

"Then learn," the voice snapped, each word a sharp command. "You are no longer allowed the luxury of doubt. Command what you see. Shape the reality before you, or let the weight of your inadequacy crush you."

I clenched my fists, trembling. "I don't know where to start..."

"Open your eyes, not to what is, but to what must be." A pause hung in the air, heavy with ominous meaning. "Command your destiny, or be nothing."

I felt a shift deep within me, a spark of something vast and unknowable stirring. My trembling subsided, replaced by a strange, hesitant resolve.

In that moment, my ocular Regalia surged with an overwhelming power. The world slowed to a crawl; the droplet of water fired from the intruder's hand seemed suspended mid-air, barely separating from his fingertip. My vision sharpened, every detail magnified. As I took it all in, a single thought crystallized in my mind: not everyone is worthy to wield a Regalia, but everyone deserves the right to one. And in this moment, I felt the undeniable 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.

My gaze locked onto the water droplet, and suddenly, I saw more than its shape. I saw the atoms that composed it, the forces binding it together. The energy coursing through me was immense, a wellspring of creation waiting to be commanded.

I raised my hand and whispered, "Stop." Energy exploded outward, forming a shimmering circular barrier in the droplet's path. The shield glowed with raw power, humming as it solidified. In an instant, the droplet collided with it, the impact sending a shockwave that reverberated through the air. The shield dented but held, deflecting the droplet to the side in a spray of harmless mist.

The intruder's expression twisted into shock, his movements faltering. I moved, my body reacting faster than his stunned mind could comprehend. I closed the distance, my focus unbroken. Summoning my Regalia's power again, I willed a weapon into existence. In my hand, a bat materialized, solid and heavy, an extension of my will.

The intruder attempted to recover, water swirling at his fingertips as he tried to form a defensive shield. But he was too slow. With a single decisive swing, I struck him across the head, the force of the blow dropping him to the ground. His body crumpled, unconscious, the water shield dissipating into droplets that splashed harmlessly onto the ground.

I stood over him, my chest heaving, the energy of my Regalia still pulsing through me.