Clotho stood on the roof of a steam factory, the industrial city behind him choked with rising smoke. His eyes were empty as he stared at the sky.
"Clotho! Get down from there, idiot!"
I ignored Nyx's shout. The night wind bit into my face, carrying the scent of iron and oil from the factories of the Lower District. Ironhaven—a city where Manipulators ruled, and people without power were treated like trash.
Seventeen years. Seventeen years I had waited for my power to awaken.
It never came.
Elemental Manipulators dominated 80% of the population. Those who could control fire, water, earth, and air—the basic elements that made them valuable. Natural Manipulators wielded the powers of plants and animals. Even rare Abstract Manipulators like Nyx had a place in this world.
But me? I had nothing.
"You're going to fall, idiot!" Nyx had climbed onto the roof, her glowing red eyes cutting through the darkness. Shadows danced around her feet—her Shadowmeld ability. "We have a mission tomorrow. You need rest."
"A mission to steal stale bread from a warehouse?" I let out a bitter laugh. "What a glorious career."
"Better than starving to death."
She was right. As always. In this world, you needed power to survive. Without it, you were just waiting to die—or worse, to become a slave to those who had it.
I looked up at the sky. The seven layers of heaven said to tower above this world. Our land was the First Heaven. Up there, in the Seventh Heaven, He sat. The God who created this cursed system.
The God who took everything from me.
"One day," I whispered, "I'll climb up there. And I'll make Him pay."
Nyx said nothing. She knew I meant it.
Even without power.