Powerless

Kai is one of the two protagonists and narrators of Powerless. He is 19 years old and the second-born son of the king of Ilya. He is described as arrogant and brash, with “tar-black hair [that] falls over the top of his forehead in messy waves” and stormy gray eyes (27). He states that he looks “like [his mother], with [his] dark hair and light eyes, just as Kitt takes after [their] Father, both green-eyed and blond” (34), which symbolically emphasizes Kai’s connection to his mother and Kitt’s desire to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Kai is a powerful Elite Offensive, meaning that his ability is most useful in combat. He is a Wielder with the rare ability to use the power of any Elite within reach. This makes him a formidable fighter, as illustrated by the fact that he is only in danger when he faces a Silencer for the first time. Due to his power and his social position, Kai has endured grueling training from his father to become Kitt’s Enforcer, or “executioner, commander of armies, and right-hand man to the king” (32). The king’s training methods included physical and emotional torture, which led Kai to build strong emotional walls and ignore his own pain or distress. Although Paedyn first believes that he is callous and arrogant, she later realizes that his attitude is a defense mechanism. In fact, Kai demonstrates empathy and protectiveness throughout the novel and upholds a strong moral code that includes refusing to kill Ordinary children. Although he resents his father for his upbringing, Kai accepts his duty without question:

I never wanted this. Never wanted to be what I am today. But monsters are made, not born. And I had no choice in the matter. I have no choice in the matter. But I won’t deny what I am, and I’ll do what I must for my kingdom. For my king (233).

Kai is made to compete in the Purging Trials to showcase his skills and consolidate his status. He teams up with Paedyn despite their rocky relationship and successfully completes the tasks, although his father warns him against falling for a “Slummer.” In fact, Kai is strongly attracted to Paedyn and frustrated by her reluctance to admit her own feelings. At the end of the story, he learns that Paedyn is an Ordinary and that she has killed his father. Nonetheless, his feelings for her keep him from killing her for the moment. He lets her escape, but he promises to find her and kill her once he has found the courage to do so.

Kitt is Kai’s older brother and the future king of Ilya. Paedyn and Kai both repeatedly remark upon his resemblance to the king, which symbolically highlights Kitt’s main moral dilemma. The crown prince is set to become “the kindest king Ilya has ever seen” (492), but he is naive about the true implications of the kingdom’s Social Hierarchy and Oppression. Paedyn encourages him to get to know his people by visiting the slums, while Kai pushes him to think more independently: “[Y]ou need to learn to think on your own because one day, Father won’t be there to do it for you. So, I suggest you start figuring out what you think is for the best” (367). These attempts by others to improve his confidence and knowledge of the kingdom help at times, but they also accentuate feelings of inadequacy and a lack of control over his own life. His inability to participate in the Purging Trials or help when the Resistance attacks makes him feel inferior, a feeling that dissipates when he later steps into his role as King.

Although he has dual Fire and Water abilities and social influence, Kitt struggles to find his voice throughout the story. He has been protected from facing the struggles of others in the kingdom, such as the Enforcer’s brutality against innocent people or the reality of living in the slums like Paedyn does. Torn between Kai and Paedyn’s encouragements and his desire to please the king, Kitt is consistently depicted as earnest but indecisive. His character arc is concluded when he realizes that Paedyn has betrayed his trust, and she thinks, “The boy glaring down at me is devoid of every bit of warmth, every bit of charm I’ve come to know. He is cold. He is callous. He is like this because of me. He is his father” (457). The novel’s Epilogue is narrated by Kitt, who consciously rejects any ounce of compassion and trust and instead decides to follow in his father’s footsteps. He then orders Kai to bring him Paedyn, signaling that he is embracing a more ruthless and cruel side of himself.