14 Ayer Oighear

3 years ago, a month after the Cosmic Surge Event.

—West District, Dotun City; Lanima Region

"Are you also affected by Reygon, Mr. Oighear?"

"Yes, and I want it removed because I don't want my work to be affected by it, how long will it take for it to be removed from my system?" Ayer asked the scientist after he was diagnosed with Reygon in his Nervous System.

"Essentially, Mr. Oighear, it will not be removed, for now, because no one has yet to figure it how to remove Reygon inside of one's Nervous System, all we can do is reduce it to 1%. We can't take all of it out with this device because if we did, you will die, plenty of Reygon patients died from it," the Doctor told Ayer after bringing the device that absorbs Reygon inside of one's Nervous System—Reygon Vacuum.

Ayer Oighear is a Head Manager of S-2 building, where the main store of Scope Enterprise is, there are many store branches but this is the main store of the company. He asked his friend to help him after the Cosmic Surge Event because he felt that he has Reygon in him.

But in the midst of the 1 month that he's inside the laboratory of his friend to reduce his Reygon, he found out something.

"Reign? When a Reygon diagnosed patient moves the Reygon Energy out of their Nervous System telekinetically, they'll be able to activate a phenomenon only in fiction can occur, called magic and/or powers, Reign's difference varies with every Reygon diagnosed patient," Ayer read the article from his laptop in his friend's laboratory.

"What did they even experiment with? How did they get these results?" Ayer asked himself, shocked to find out about the article.

Ayer is the successor of his parent's wealth after they died. And because they died just as he became the Head Manager of the Scope Marketing franchise, when he invested half of his parent's wealth in the franchise, he was given access to early news and private news that only higher-ups know.

He's now one of the higher-ups of Scope Enterprise.

As he scrolls through the news, there's an ad article that gave him an epiphany.

[Having "Gaming" as mainstream might be troublesome for Tech giants…]

"Mainstream? I can create a few things as ice. It's my Reign according to what my friend said. If there is a possibility things go wrong, there is a high chance power can exist in the modern world, a fictional idea and concept that only exists in fictional books, I think it has a chance to compete against technology," Ayer thought, piecing his thoughts together, his theory.

"Though I'm not strong enough to lead a group of Reign users since I can only create ice things, smaller ones, at least, not yet since I haven't tried more things," Ayer said to himself.

"I have the wealth, it can last for one year depending on how many Reygon patients will be willing to join me, my estimate is one year," Ayer thought again.

He then tried to make a knife with his Reign. As well as others more like tools.

"They're as tough as the real thing, my other theory is true, these things I make with my Reign are not just ordinary ice seeing as how tough they are—as tough as the real thing, next, can I make bigger things?" Ayer thought, he then continues making ice things with his Reign.

Hiding in his big bathroom for a few hours, experimenting on his Reign, from his friend that's overlooking his stay in his lab to "fix" his Reygon issue, trying out many ways to use his Reign so that he can use it in many scenarios, and when he was ready, he began his operation—to leave the lab and gather Reigners.

…To start a new era, the era of Reigners.

"Ayer, good morning, should we start the Reygon extraction?"

"Please," Ayer said, answering the same thing as always while he is on the bed using his laptop.

"Even though we've done this for weeks now, I'm just hacking his tech to trick him that it's filled with my Reygon—I'm lucky I learned programming and coding before," Ayer thought.

When his friend left the room, Ayer removed the tube that is absorbing his Reign Energy.

"It doesn't absorb any of my Reygon but it's still connected to my nervous system somehow," Ayer thought as he stood up after removing the tube.

"Ayer?" His friend entered the room Ayer is in.

"Oh, no," Ayer thought.

"I'm sorry about this but, if you don't want to die, my friend, you better leave this building now," Ayer told him.

"And how will I die?"

"This," Ayer said, he then created an Ice sword and started freezing the room's floor.

Ayer grabbed his laptop so it won't be frozen.

"Ayer, you're practicing Reign!?"

"Yes, it is the beginning of a new era, I believe, my friend, this will be our future, us Reign users. Please, leave this place, my friend, I don't want you getting involved with what I'll be doing," Ayer told him as he continues to freeze the room.

His friend is backing slowly… but…

"No, let me stop you, Ayer, I can see how you think after being your friend and following you in your work for many years, we scientists have predicted, even our Super Computers have calculated that Reign is dangerous for the future of Lanima Region,"

"What do you mean?" Ayer asked yet he still continues freezing the room, he was almost done covering the room's floor.

"If you start this era you speak of, it will bring nothing but destruction to Lanima Region, even if you're my friend, Ayer, I must protect the land we're on first, Please, don't do this." Ayer's friend requested him as he pulled out his Scope laser gun, and pointed it at Ayer.

"Please, put that down and leave, I can only ask you one last time," Ayer requested him.

His friend then shoots his laser gun.

*beam*

*freeze*

A year later, Ayer was able to take down a lab, taking down the all scientists inside, and since it's filled with Reigners, he recruited them all, they all accepted when Ayer told them his motives, instantly because the other Reigners in the lab they're in were getting tortured, some of them even died in the process of getting experimented on.

"You may die, you may get captured again. One final question, are you willing to follow me, in creating the new era of Lanima Region?" Ayer asked the Reigners.

"YES!!!"

One year after, just after the chaos has brought the Dotun City to its destruction—at least, 80% of it, Ayer met Stacia.

Ayer's group was not the first strongest group because that goes to the group that Mr. Scope dealt with, ever since then, nobody dared to attack him and his place in Dotun City.

[Going to the present]

—East District, Dotun City; Lanima Region

"If Alex joins, we will be able to take down the only thing hindering us Reign users from expanding, Mr. Scope," Ayer thought.

"I don't hate the idea, Mr. Oighear, but… Can you give me time to think about it? I want to explore your headquarters here since I just arrived in the city," Alex said, asking him.

"If that's the case, Thiwang will be resting after her return, maybe she can take you around the headquarters, try not to get in trouble to the point that I can't handle, your Reign is very rare," Ayer said, removing his hand from Alex's shoulder.

"Will we be keeping his Reign in secrecy or…?" Stacia asked.

"Hmm? Something like this will probably be more problematic in the future than now," Ayer thought.

"Keeping it a secret will bring more harm in the future once others found out about his Reign, it will probably be less dangerous if you don't keep it a secret. Anyway, I'll go back to the walls, the protestors did a number on them again," Ayer said.

"Wait, can I ask what the protestors are doing for the walls of Dotun City to be destroyed?" Alex said, asking Ayer.

"Well, Hugo, if the protestors are also soldiers armed with Scope weapons, as well as using tanks to bring down the walls of Dotun City, it will definitely be troublesome for the walls," Ayer said, answering Alex's question.

"What? Why? What do they get out of doing that?" Alex asked him.

"They want Dotun City to return to normal and this is what they decided to do," Ayer said, answering Alex's question with dread.

Hinting that the outside wants the Dotun citizens to be wiped.

"That's cruel," Alex thought.

Ayer then left the room afterward.

"Dotun City is the Center of Lanima Region, I know they want things to go back to normal, but destroying everything won't turn things back, it will just bring nothing but even more chaos," Alex thought, angered by what he just found out.

"Alex, let's go, I'll show you around here, Dotun City's lifestyle changed drastically after the Cosmic Surge, so you need to, at least, know the basics of every day here," Stacia said, they then left Ayer's office.

They then left the main headquarters. Stacia took Alex around the East District.

"How did the city become this destroyed, Stacia? I don't think giant monsters are capable of this level of destruction unless they're way too provoked," Alex asked her.

"This destruction is definitely not caused by the giant monsters for sure, it's the fighting of Reign users and Scope soldiers 3 years ago that caused the giant monsters to wreak havoc in the city, forcing Mr. Scope to close off Dotun City until everything is under control," Stacia said, answering Alex as they pass the center of East District.

"Right, this was a bad memory for me too," Stacia thought after remembering what happened.

"How? How did the two sides attract the anger of the giant monsters? To the point that they'd wreak this much havoc?" Alex asked her again.

"These giant monsters, Alex, they are attracted by emotions, noise, and provocation, the Reign users and the Scope soldiers caused those exact three at the same time, we're lucky that it has subsided now, though I can't say they've stopped," Stacia said, answering his question again.

"My parents died in the process, so I can't say that I've made peace with these creatures yet," Stacia thought.

"I wonder how it unfolded, it must've been hard for Mr. Scope and everyone involved in stopping the giant monsters. The only thing I can do—the best that I can do, is to try and alleviate this chaos like most of the people are doing here, I'd hate to assume that there are fewer people that want this to be fixed," Alex thought.

Alex sighs. "I thought you use Reigner and not Reign user?" He asked Stacia, changing the subject positively.

"How about if you decline Ayer's offer and start your own group, that's what you'll call your members? We title ourselves as Reign Masters, as our group's name states," Stacia said, suggesting Alex as she chuckles.

"Haha…" Alex chuckled as well, "Maybe I will but show me around first. I might not do that depending on how well your group is," Alex said, continuing to follow Stacia.

"Okay, first thing's first, you need to remove that jacket you're wearing so that you won't be picked on earlier, as it turns out, most of the "Reigners" here are Scope haters, it is one of the reasons why only a dozen scavenged that jacket in abandoned stores, and all of them died, though that doesn't apply to you since you can't be killed," Stacia explained, quoting the word Reigner, they then went on with their walking.

"I guess that makes sense, though I need more information as to why they hate Mr. Scope that much," Alex thought, he then removed the logos and brandings of his jacket afterward.

They went around the center of the East District. But not long after that…

"Ms. Thiwang!"

"Are they Stacia's friends?" Alex thought, asking himself.

They then went to their training area.

"Hello, there, are your training going well?" Stacia asked after approaching her colleagues.

"It is but I don't think I'll get to your level anytime soon, Ms. Thiwang,"

"Don't be funny, unlike you, I'm just talented, I barely had any hard work, you all will surpass me in no time," Stacia said, snickering.

"I doubt that. Anyway, Ms. Thiwang, who is the man? I can't help but notice he's wearing a Scope jacket,"

"Wait, what?" Alex thought, surprised he found out.

"How did you notice that? Here I thought he removed the logos and brandings after I told him," Stacia asked as she was surprised that he noticed.

"I thought so too," Alex said.

"Of course, my parents were one of the manufacturers of it, until they died when the chaos began,"

"I'm sorry to hear that," Alex said, apologizing.

"Why are you apologizing? None of that is your fault? It's Mr. Scope's,"

"Don't come at him like that, he's just an observer," Stacia said.

"Is that so? If he is a potential member of Masters of Reigns then he should show us that he's not a Scope supporter and if he's worthy of the group's name. Spar with me using your Reign,"

Stacia looks at Alex. She knows full well that sparring like this is typical in their group, especially assessing new recruits.

"This must be normal for new recruits or even observers like me," Alex thought.

"I'm not against it," Alex said.

"Very well then, I'll oversee this sparring," Stacia said, approving the sparring.

"I hope this doesn't turn out bad, it'll definitely be a bad impression, even though there's a chance I might not join after all," Alex thought.

Alex went in front of the Reigner. "Do we do this here or somewhere?" He asked.

"Here,"