Remy didn’t like his C-rank ability. Although it was indeed superhuman, it felt like a stretch to classify Eternal Insomnia as an ideal upgrade like his father seemed to think. The superpower seemed to have arisen as a combination of his mother’s B-rank Dream Manipulation ability and his father’s dormant sleep-related genes. Yes, it was true that he didn’t suffer any side effects from lack of sleep, but it was also true that the concept of dreams still perplexed him.

Boredom, however, was something he understood far too well. There were plenty of things to do, but Remy didn’t want to do any of them. He could only indulge in entertainment for so long until the desire left his body. That’s why sleep seemed like a blessing. It was a reset. A way to escape from everything for a few hours.

It was 2 AM. As always, Mom and Dad were asleep while Amelia was working. Most nights, Remy simply lay in bed and stared upwards like a vampire in a coffin, but this time he stared at the screen of his laptop, sweat peppering his forehead.

“The trick to beating boredom is curiosity.” His sister’s words lingered in his mind. “Find something that fascinates you. That’s what I did.”

Remy laughed quietly and whispered, “Even if it’s illegal, Wide Awake?”

Thanks to lots of research and perseverance, he had finally managed to get himself onto a notorious website that could only be found on the dark web– Sinister.Network. And already, upon visiting the website for less than five seconds, he was spooked. All the thumbnails were crudely drawn smiley faces, and every title accompanying them was heinous crimes. For example, Murder #231, Torture, #5,231, Decapitation #44.

Remy scrolled for what felt like an hour until one video caught his interest. “Mantis Monster Live?” Underneath the title in red was a viewer count. More than two thousand people seemed to be watching the livestream.

Remy clicked on the thumbnail and lowered the volume, one shaky hand hovering over the mouse. The video displayed a snowy wasteland. For a full minute, nothing happened.

Then someone began talking.

“They’re worthless. We shouldn’t bother. No, I should. Should I? Yes. I probably should. No, no. The rampage can’t stop now. Everyone is here to see a show. I can’t disappoint. Almost there.”

Out of nowhere, a large praying mantis in human size emerged on the screen. Remy’s eyes bulged. The creature dashed across the white landscape at an absurd pace, eventually halting at a campsite bustling with laughing adults and children running around.

“Look, Mom!” one of the children said, pointing at the Mantis. “What’s that?”

There was no time for an answer. Screams erupted. Heads and dismembered body parts flew through the air. Crimson stained the snow.

Remy didn’t move. He couldn’t move. The pause button was only one click away yet all he could do was watch as the Mantis rapidly killed everyone in the campsite.

“Now folks, here’s what you’ve all been waiting for!” the Mantis said cheerfully, louder than the howling winds. “Dinner time!”

The Mantis chomped through the torso and then the skull of one lifeless body. Remy puked hard. When there was no food left in his system, he pounced on his bed, squeezing both eyes tight. Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep!

He did not fall asleep. Thirty minutes passed. The terror did not subside.

Suddenly, there was a rhythmic knock on his window, causing Remy to flinch. “Are you okay, little bro?” a concerned voice hissed.

Tears welled in Remy’s eyes as he opened the curtains. Wide Awake took off her blue mask and frowned at him.

He shook his head.

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Very stealthily, Amelia helped Remy clean himself up and all the vomit without waking up their parents. They sat on the living room sofa and watched cartoons at low volume until Amelia switched off the TV and gently shook Remy’s shoulder. “Do you want to talk more about it?”

Remy turned to his sister. “How did you know?”

“There are sensors in your room that detect your vitals. Your heart rate spiked to an abnormal level, and something told me you weren’t trying to sneak in some late-night physical exercise before school.”

Remy clenched his tiny fists. “I hate my superpower. There’s no escape.”

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“No one can escape trauma,” Amelia said. “Don’t forget nightmares exist.”

“I still hate it. What if I don’t want to do anything?”

Amelia snorted.

“What’s funny?”

“If you don’t want to do anything, don’t do anything. It’s really that simple. Let your thoughts roam and don’t watch a supervillain eat people.” Amelia tutted, shaking her head. “I can’t believe you. You know, I can’t let you get away with crimes because you’re my little brother, right? If I find out you’re aspiring to be a cannibal, I’ll throw you behind bars without hesitation.”

Remy half smiled, half grimaced.

“Too soon?” Amelia asked.

“Too soon,” Remy confirmed.

“Okay, I’ll be real with you. Our power stinks, but it’s far from useless. We have more time. That’s more precious than you think. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve talked to people who are jealous of Eternal Insomnia and rant about what they would do if they had it.”

“But I don’t have anything to do.” Remy sniffed. “And I hate being alone for long amounts of time.”

“Then we’ll solve that. You can hang out with me during my night shifts. I’ll start my own livestream.”

Remy’s eyes lit up. “Really? Didn’t you say superheroes who livestream are narcissistic, attention-seeking asswipes?”

Amelia grinned. “Yes, I did. But this one will be private and purely for educational purposes. It will be our little secret.”

“Educational?” Remy scrunched up his face. “I don’t want to learn about superheroes.”

“Listen.” Amelia grabbed him by the shoulders, and Remy leaned back slightly, surprised by the stern look in her eyes. “In this world, where everything is in the interest of something, knowledge for knowledge's sake is underestimated. Dad wants you to be like me. Mom wants you to stay away from violence. I say do what excites you. Whichever path you go down, never forget this, Rem: Learning is invaluable.”

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6 years later….

Puberty hit Remy like a truck. Clearly taken from his father, at only fourteen, he was six feet and three inches. And no longer did he have noodle arms. Due to consistent exercise over many years, which initially started out of boredom, he was far more muscular than the average teenager.

Lying on his back on the living room sofa, he chuckled as he watched a debate between two superhero analyst “experts” who apparently knew everything regarding the competency of superheroes.

“Are you smoking crack, Jeffery?” one of the analysts, Stephen, bellowed. “How could you possibly think Wide Awake is among the best Earth has to offer? By far, she is the most overrated, inflated S-rank hero. Where is she ranked, again? 12th? There is no elegancy or art towards her saving ability. Sure, she’s close to the all-time individual save record, but when has she ever given you chills? I’ll answer that for you. Never!”

Remy fell off the sofa, cackling, as the analysts continued to yell at each other as if there could be a decisive winner to their debate.

“Ouch,” Remy grunted, feeling a sharp kick to the ribs.

“Stop watching that rubbish,” Amelia said. “That show makes me sick.”

“You’re just pissed they don’t rate you–, ow, ow!”

“Get up, little man. If Mom and Dad ask, tell them I’m on the night shift.”

“Of course. Can you private livestream?” Remy asked. “Only if you want to.”

“Sure.”

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Remy went to his bedroom and put on the Perspective Sync Contact Lenses Amelia had given him, allowing him to see everything she could see.

There were two reasons why Wide Awake was the most efficient superhero. The first was rather obvious– she didn’t sleep. But the second was her ability to dart across Everforge City and quickly spot danger. Watching the superhero from a first-person perspective was wild, so much so that the first few times Remy had watched her live he’d felt nauseous from motion sickness.

Wide Awake freeran from rooftop to rooftop with uncanny agility and jumping strength, rarely hesitating for more than a second. Her head constantly swivelled from right to left as she soared through the air, hawk-like eyes scanning the concrete jungle of skyscrapers from a bird's eye view.

“Quiz time!” she said cheerfully.

Remy groaned but did not complain further. This was part of the deal they made; In return for watching a superhero in action, he had to pass her mini-tests.

“Let me think. Question number one. Can anyone become a superhero or an unlicensed vigilante? Explain your answer.”

“Isn’t that subjective?”

“Maybe. But both answers can be correct.” Wide Awake landed in an alleyway and effortlessly flipped a mugger's body over like a pancake. “As long as you explain it well enough.”

“Technically, yes,” Remy answered. “Over one hundred years ago, Reluctant Man, one of the first superheroes, fragmented his omni-ability across Earth by creating 20 Flow Sites. These are areas where anyone has the chance to permanently change their genetic code through specific achievements and actions. Once obtained, these abilities can be levelled up and sometimes tweaked. Therefore, if someone really wanted to be a superhero, they could try getting a superpower and then start saving people.” Remy briefly hesitated, thinking of his dad raving about gauntlets. “Or they could just gain possession of a high-tech weapon.”

“Good answer.” Wide Awake took off her mask from a rooftop and waved goodbye to the victim of the mugging, a middle-aged woman. “Question number 2. Where did the number one superhero gain one of their Flow Site superpowers?”

“You got your Dark Energy ability from the Abnormal Flow Site located in the Deadzone, one of the most dangerous places on Earth.”

“I’m not ranked number one.”

“You are to me,” Remy said bluntly. “The numbers don’t lie. Right now, you make the most impact. If you livestreamed like the top 10, you would shoot up into the top five for sure. Of course, I’m biased as hell but…”

“No, no, no,” Wide Awake said. “I think you’re on to something, to be honest. Bonus points.”

Remy laughed. Whenever Amelia talked to the media or civilians, she acted too humble. Only a few saw this side of her. She put her mask back on and broke into a sprint. “Final question for the evening. What was the–” She skidded to a halt.

“Amelia?” Remy frowned, then jumped off his bed, finally noticing the sword protruding from her shoulder.”

“Oh no. It appears I’ve been stabbed…”