Kyle stood at the edge of the room, his heart hammering in his chest as he waited for the staff in charge to deliver the result of his awakening.
Every fiber of his being ached with anticipation—did he really not have any power?
Did this mean he could never become one of the heroes, the protectors of the world, the dream he had chased since childhood?
In a world where everyone possessed a unique power, the notion of being powerless was a dark cloud that threatened to swallow him whole.
Heroes were the shining guardians, wielding their strength to protect the innocent, while villains twisted their abilities for harm.
There was no one in this world who lacked power—but there were levels of it, and those levels defined a person's place in society.
The lowest tier, the Louws, was reserved for individuals whose abilities were tied to creation rather than destruction.
A Louw's power was often related to production—something like enhancing crops, building structures, or healing minor injuries.
Though their abilities could be honed, they lacked the destructive potential necessary for combat. They were valuable, but ultimately relegated to supporting roles, not fighters.
The next tier, the Medius, was where combatants began.
A Medius was someone whose powers were geared toward fighting—whether it be enhancing physical abilities, summoning basic creatures, or wielding elemental forces.
While a Medius could hold their own in battle, they weren't powerful enough to lead armies or bring down a kingdom.
They were more likely to be supporters in a larger fight, aiding those in higher tiers.
And then there were the Higius—the elite of the elite.
Higius wielded immense power, capable of causing massive destruction.
Whether through elemental forces, summoning powerful beasts, or wielding overwhelming physical strength, a Higius was the one who stood at the front of any battle, ready to take on the enemy head-on.
Their powers could be enhanced over time, growing more potent and dangerous.
There was also a rumored level—Legendius.
The mysteries surrounding this level were endless, and it was said that no one had ever truly attained it.
Some believed it was a power beyond imagination, one that could reshape the very fabric of reality itself.
The only person ever believed to have reached this level was the leader of Louzer, a legendary figure who had brought peace to the world during its earliest days, when chaos reigned.
Yet, as Kyle stood there, his future seemed uncertain, a fragile thread swaying in the wind.
No power. No awakening.
His dreams—his entire sense of identity—were slipping through his fingers like sand.
Mark slapped him on the back, his voice breaking through Kyle's turbulent thoughts, brimming with excitement.
It was a tone Kyle rarely heard from him, one so different from the usual teasing and banter.
"Yo, can you guess what level I got?" Mark asked, practically vibrating with energy.
Kyle tried to force a smile, but it felt thin, almost painful. "What? Medius?"
Mark's grin widened, and he waved his hand dismissively. "What the hell? Are you looking down on me? I got Higius. And summoning type at that. What about you?"
Higius.
The words hit Kyle like a punch to the gut.
Mark had already secured his place as one of the frontliners, one of the elite.
With summoning powers, Mark could control creatures or entities of significant power. Sooner or later, he'd be the one leading the charge.
Kyle, on the other hand... He couldn't even awaken. The emptiness inside him threatened to swallow him whole.
"None," Kyle muttered, his voice barely audible.
"What? Are you kidding me?" Mark's jaw dropped. "You—always at the top of the class—didn't awaken?"
Kyle's lips curled in annoyance.
'What good is being at the top if I can't even awaken?'
The weight of Mark's words seemed to ripple across the room, and Kyle could feel every pair of eyes turn toward him.
Whispers started to trickle through the air—some sympathetic, some curious, but all of them felt like daggers to his pride.
"Yeah," he said, his voice a low rasp, trying to keep his composure.
As Mark sputtered, trying to come up with some kind of consolation, Kyle could feel the room closing in on him.
The whispers were getting louder, and despite his attempts to appear indifferent, the weight of their gaze was suffocating.
He wasn't just a failure—he was an anomaly.
"Maybe it's something more," Mark offered, though his voice lacked the usual conviction.
"Maybe you got Legendius level. The machine just can't measure it."
Kyle swallowed hard.
'Legendius level?'
It was a tempting thought, one that offered a glimmer of hope, but it felt like a desperate, childish fantasy.
The professor, Professor Miki, called the class to attention.
"All students have finished their awakening. Congratulations to those who have manifested their powers. Next week, we'll begin specialized training for each power type. Class is dismissed for today. Everyone may leave. Kyle, meet me on Monday"
Kyle nodded. He knew that his case is unfamiliar, the academy still need to discuss what will happen to him.
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Monday came too fast. Kyle standing outside Professor Miki's room.
His heart was drumming loudly, in 3 minutes or maybe earlier, he will get his ultimatum. His fate. His future.
Kyle knocked on the door softly.
"Come in"
Kyle turn the door's knob and walked in.
The professor's gaze was steady as he gestured for Kyle to sit down at the chair in front of his desk.
Kyle sat down. The silence between them heavy with unspoken words.
The professor closed the door behind them, then gestured for Kyle to sit. There was an odd calmness to Miki's demeanor, but also a deep seriousness.
"You're an anomaly, Kyle," Professor Miki said, his voice quiet but firm.
"You didn't awaken because you fall into a category that hasn't been seen in over a century. We call it 'Null.' A person who does not awaken at all. It's rare—so rare that it's almost considered nonexistent."
Kyle's heart skipped a beat.
Null?
He had heard rumors of it, but no one truly believed it. It was supposed to be a thing of the past, a forgotten relic.
"I thought does not exist" Kyle muttered, his voice shaky. "What does this mean for me? What am I supposed to do now?"
Professor Miki sat across from him, studying him intently.
"That's the question we've all been asking. You have potential, Kyle, but it's not the kind that we know how to measure. There's something unique about you—something that defies the systems we've built to understand power. You could be the key to something entirely new."
Kyle's mind raced. "So... What, I'm supposed to figure this out on my own?"
Miki nodded slowly.
"Perhaps. Or perhaps the world will eventually see that Null is a power in its own right. It's a challenge we haven't faced in a long time, but I believe you have the strength to discover what lies beyond these limitations. Your journey is unlike any other. But it's yours to define."
Kyle looked at the professor, a mixture of fear and sadness welling up within him.
'I don't know what my future holds, but maybe this... maybe this is my chance to create something new. Something no one has ever seen before.'
He tried to look at his situation positively.
Professor Miki placed a hand on Kyle's shoulder, his expression kind but stern.
"The question now is not what you can't do. It's what you choose to do with what you have. You're not powerless, Kyle. You're just... different."
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