What defines a person's worth? Is it their abilities? Their strength? Or is it something deeper?
If you asked anyone in my world, they'd point to the eyes.
"The eyes never lie," they always said.
But what if your eyes held nothing?
No power. No light. Just emptiness.
What did that make someone like me?
My name is Adrian Clarke.
By this world's standards, I was worthless. Powerless. An anomaly.
In our society, children awakened their powers around the age of ten or eleven. For most people, it was a moment of celebration—a rite of passage into a world overflowing with possibilities.
For people like me, though?
It was the beginning of a nightmare.
The moment the tests confirmed I had no power, my future was decided for me.
Powerless.
No fancy titles. No second chances. Just a single word that echoed through every hallway, every classroom, every whisper behind my back.
Powerless.
The source of these abilities lay in the eyes—a so-called blessing that manifested differently in every individual. People said genetics had nothing to do with it, meaning your power could be completely unrelated to your parents'.
Fire, water, wind—those were the common abilities.
Then there were the Uncommon Class powers like Mist and Ice.
Rare Class abilities, such as Earth and Tornadoes, were much harder to come across.
And then there was the Unique Class.
Powers like Light and Dark.
Only one person on the entire continent could possess a Unique Class ability at a time.
And somehow, my two best friends happened to be those people.
Lucas Hale.
The golden boy.
Quite literally.
When he activated his Light Eyes, his irises and pupils vanished completely, leaving behind nothing but pure white light. The first time I saw it as a kid, it terrified me.
Now?
It was strangely comforting.
Lucas moved like sunlight itself—fast, untouchable, overwhelming. On the field, people admired him. Outside of it, they practically worshipped him.
But despite all that, he never treated me differently.
Then there was Nova Cross.
A walking contradiction.
Scatterbrained, impulsive, loud, and somehow capable of turning every serious conversation into complete chaos. But underneath all of that was someone terrifyingly strong.
When Nova activated her Dark Eyes, her gaze became an endless void that swallowed all light around it. Combined with her absurd physical strength, she looked less like a student and more like a demon pretending to be human.
Honestly?
She probably was one.
Especially if you annoyed her.
Despite constantly complaining about being short, she could lift boulders like they were playground toys.
And me?
I had nothing.
No glowing eyes.
No elemental abilities.
No divine strength.
Just a brain that solved problems a little too well and a body that apparently existed solely to attract bullies.
Lucas and Nova had been my lifelines for as long as I could remember.
Whenever someone cornered me, Lucas stepped in with his calm confidence and unshakable resolve.
Whenever words failed, Nova usually solved things with violence.
Together, they made surviving school manageable.
But no matter how much they protected me, one thought never stopped gnawing at the back of my mind.
Why them?
Why not me?
The school bell rang overhead, snapping me out of my thoughts.
Another day of school.
Another performance.
Another attempt to pretend I belonged in a world that had already left me behind.
This was my life.
For now, anyway.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
The schoolyard buzzed with activity as students moved between buildings, their eyes flickering with faint traces of power. Sparks crackled between fingertips. Tiny gusts of wind scattered loose papers. Flames danced lazily in palms.
The hierarchy of our world was impossible to hide.
I kept my head down and walked carefully through the crowd.
Over the years, I'd learned how to navigate spaces like this while drawing as little attention to myself as possible.
Unfortunately, caution could only do so much.
"Oi, Clarke!"
I stopped walking immediately.
Fantastic.
I recognized that voice instantly.
Matthew Carver.
One of the school's favorite tormentors and a guy who seemed to take personal pride in making powerless students miserable.
Before I could react, someone yanked my backpack hard enough to pull me backward. I stumbled, barely catching myself before I hit the ground.
"Where you rushing off to in such a hurry, huh?" Matthew sneered.
His friends laughed behind him.
I adjusted my bag strap slowly, forcing my expression to remain neutral despite the pounding in my chest.
Bullies fed off reactions.
I'd learned that the hard way.
"Just heading to class," I replied calmly. "You should consider doing the same."
The laughter around him grew louder.
"Oh, hear that, boys? Clarke thinks he's smart!"
Matthew shoved me lightly—not enough to cause a scene, but enough to remind me where I stood.
"You think brains matter when you've got no power? You're nobody, Clarke."
I clenched my fists.
But I stayed silent.
Retaliating only made things worse.
Before Matthew could continue, another voice cut through the tension.
"Hey, Matt!"
The entire mood shifted instantly.
Matthew stiffened as Lucas Hale walked toward us with his usual easygoing grin plastered across his face.
But I knew Lucas well enough to recognize the warning hidden underneath it.
"Picking on Adrian again?" Lucas asked lightly.
Matthew immediately backed off.
Lucas wasn't just popular.
He was untouchable.
Nobody wanted to end up on the wrong side of someone who could blind you with a glance.
"Just messing around," Matthew muttered. "No need to get all heroic."
"That's what I thought."
Lucas stepped between us, crossing his arms casually.
"Now, unless you want Nova hearing about this..."
Matthew visibly paled.
Everyone in school knew better than to provoke Nova Cross. Her methods for dealing with bullies were... unconventional.
"Whatever," Matthew muttered before retreating with his friends.
Once they were gone, Lucas looked back at me, his expression softening slightly.
"You good?"
I nodded.
"Thanks."
Lucas grinned.
"Anytime."
Later that afternoon, I sat alone in the library with an advanced mathematics textbook spread open in front of me.
Numbers were easier than people.
Patterns made sense.
Logic made sense.
People didn't.
A group of students whispered and giggled a few tables away, occasionally glancing in my direction.
I ignored them.
Or at least, I tried to.
Eventually, one of them—a girl with a particularly smug expression—walked over and snatched the book right off my desk.
"Still pretending to be smart, Clarke?" she teased while flipping through the pages.
My mind immediately started calculating responses.
Lucas and Nova weren't around this time.
But that didn't mean I was defenseless.
I leaned back in my chair, feigning indifference.
"Careful with that," I said calmly. "It's an advanced text. Wouldn't want you hurting yourself trying to understand it."
Her smirk disappeared instantly.
Her friends burst into laughter.
Flustered, she slammed the book back onto the table and stormed off.
I allowed myself a small smile.
Words were my weapon.
Precision was my shield.
Most of the time, that was enough.
But as the day dragged on, the familiar weight of isolation settled over me again.
No matter how clever I was...
No matter how many bullies I outsmarted...
The truth never changed.
I was powerless.
And in a world ruled by strength, powerless people were nothing.