Claire

* Present
* New Bostin

**Claire** is a student from New Bostin High School and a childhood friend of John, who helped him discover his true ability, with the help of Adrion. They lost contact after the latter's violent reign as the King of New Bostin and subsequent expulsion ended their friendship. In the current day, she still hangs out with Adrion.

## Appearance

Claire has red eyes and fair skin. In the past, her light green hair was done up in braids. She was usually seen wearing a purple colored top with a frilly collar. She was rather short.

In the present day, she is shown with hair cut up to her chin, and is significantly taller than before.

## Personality

Claire is a courageous and hopeful individual with good morals, and she often interacts with others with a cheerful smile on her face. Despite facing mid-tier bullies on a daily basis, Claire did not let the grim reality of her situation get the best of her; she seemed satisfied with her life as long she had her friends John and Adrion. She places great value on her friends above all else and is willing to do whatever it takes to help them, such as when she aided John mastering Aura Manipulation. While loyal to her friends, Claire also knows when to draw the line and take responsibility for her actions; she felt that John's rise to power was her fault, and it was her responsibility to stop him.

## History

Claire, during her first week of middle school, got beat up. That same time, she saw a cripple named John suffer the same, courtesy of Oliver and company. As a fellow bully victim, Claire helped John get back on his feet and introduced herself to him. During those middle school years, the two of them, along with Adrion, hung out together. Despite the occasional run-in with some bullies, Claire found contentment with her life. Unfortunately, John did not think the same and would often express his frustrations towards the societal hierarchy, causing concerns for the optimistic Claire.

During her final year in middle school, Claire had her first vision of John, one in which he used a ray-like ability. She rushed over to his house to share the good news, accidentally ruining his attempt to build a house of cards. Claire told John the good news, and despite dismissing the vision as a joke, Claire would find out that John would sneak away to try and get his ability to "work" in hopes of realizing his dreams of becoming stronger.

After another unfortunate run-in with Oliver's crew, Claire attempted to get John to stand down knowing that the bullies outmatched the trio. John refused, and Oliver decided that he'd lord his ability over his outspoken victim. Then it happened. As soon as Oliver activated his ability, John reacted and produced a ray exactly like the one Claire saw in her vision. Unfortunately, it was too weak for self-defense, and Oliver knocked John down, same as always. Though John was bitter about his loss, Claire and Adrion got him to realize that his eyes had lit up and there was definitely a power coursing through him. John was overjoyed at the realization that he had an ability of his own, and Claire and Adrion shared in his elation. The three of them went to show John's dad at once, but John wasn't able to reproduce the miracle. Couldn't even get his eyes to glow.

After graduating from New Bostin Middle School, Claire's visions of John became more frequent. They revealed he'd be able to use a multitude of ability types, but how he achieved this was not shown. So she went over to John's so they might figure out this mystery together. John was excited for the future, but Claire told him to work things out in the present first. She asked if he could retrace his steps from her sharing her vision up to that moment. John said that he started by researching the ability she described, but his studying didn't amount to anything in a practical sense. Claire said this wasn't the case against Oliver, to which John replied that something just "clicked" after the bully activated his ability. Claire came to the conclusion that John's ability revolved around imitating active abilities, and John felt that it would explain the visions she had been having. John proposed that he try copying her ability, but Claire nixed the idea. Clairvoyance was too complex even for her, to say nothing of her inability to activate it on command. They wondered just where they could find an ability simple enough to test this hypothesis, Adrion came to mind. They invited him to help out with their little project, and he reluctantly agreed. It was as Claire suspected. John managed to work out Adrion's ability and mimic it in under a week. John and Claire spent the rest of their summer break gaining more insight about abilities from books, televised records of professional tournaments, and Claire's visions.

Eventually, the trio started attending New Bostin High School as students of Class 2-B. Such an aggressive setting made for the perfect training ground. Sticking to observation and solo training at first, John slowly became a better fighter and soon won a fight or the first time! After that, John took on every challenge he possibly could, and Claire continued providing insight on future ability usage. This went on to the point where John's consistent victories meant that the three of them no longer had to hide from the bullies. Claire was very happy that she had helped her friend accomplish something worthwhile.

However, John's strength started going to his head. Claire, at first, would look down on others now that she had a powerful ally by her side, but a chance encounter with Oliver opened her eyes to a horrible truth. Though his loss left him unable to fight back, Oliver resorted to using scathing words to get under John's skin. Claire almost managed convince John to walk away with her and leave their former tormentor to stew in his own bitterness. But Oliver made one last comment that caused John to lose his patience and turn back around. Claire witnessed John brutally beat the already-defeated Oliver. The horror only stopped when a teacher came to intervene. At that moment, she realized that she and John had become like the bullies they despised. While John faced the consequences for losing his temper, the concerned Claire and Adrion waited for him outside. Claire asked Adrion if he noticed the change in John's demeanor, but he wasn't sure of any difference. John soon emerged, upset that he got a week's detention, but otherwise unrepentant. Claire said that it seemed fair given that Oliver had already lost, but John asserted that the insults merited the extra beating. Claire asked if it was worth getting in trouble. Much to her alarm, John felt that it definitely was. He then asked she had any more visions he could use, but she said that he'd still have to wait for the next one. Displeased, John went looking for another sparring partner, ignoring Claire's reminder that they had homework to do.

Claire discovered that John became more ambitious as the year went by. One day he told her that he wanted to become a Royal in the hopes of being able to push everybody whoever picked on them around. Claire wasn't convinced this was necessary, since they were pretty much already doing that. John admitted that he personally felt that the training that got him this far wasn't cutting it anymore. But by becoming a Royal, he'd be able to fight other Royals at Turf Wars, and his levels would skyrocket. John needled Claire to help him out with more peeks into the future, much to her aggravation.

John hastily challenged the King of New Bostin, Zirian. His impatience led to a humiliating defeat. Having witnessed the fight from the front of the crowd with Adrion, Claire rushed over to John's side to see if he was okay. He wasn't, given that he placed more stock in avenging his defeat than in her concern for his physical and emotional well-being. Later, John practically demanded Claire to use her ability to give him an edge in the future. She said that he shouldn't take his loss so badly, because Zirian's strength plus years of experience made a considerable difference. John did not appreciate her assurances that he ought to be proud of his victories thus far, going so far as to say that if he could simply copy Clairvoyance then he wouldn't have to put up with her telling him to wait. Claire was hurt by his words, as all she wanted was for him to be happy with himself. But John was obsessed with beating Zirian and becoming strong enough to beat everybody, a feat that remained unaccomplished by the end of their first year.

A few weeks of summer break passed. Then, while lying in bed one night, Claire finally had another vision of John. The power of the abilities he was using surpassed that of the opponents whom he copied. Eager to lift his spirits, she sought him out the next day to tell him. Finding him in the park, his expression softened when he heard the good news. Both were stumped on how to make *this* vision come true, so they spent another summer doing research. They believed that the key to John becoming more powerful lay within tapping into his aura channels. This was going to take an immense amount of practice. It started off slowly, and Claire noted that John looked constipated whenever he strained himself. But she was there to help him every step of the way. When it came time to see what his training translated to in battle, John boosted Adrion's ability to the extent that the latter struck with enough force to cough up blood. A horrified Claire admonished John for treating his friend like a punching bag. But Adrion swore it was no big deal, so John told Claire to get a grip and be just as happy for him. She was disturbed to hear that he felt the need to go all-out in order to truly know what he was capable of.

John's power boost paid off, and he finally managed to dethrone Zirian upon the start of the new school year. While John was thrilled to become King, Claire and Adrion remained solemn throughout the proceedings. The trio walked the hallways, and came across students who didn't like the idea of somebody so confrontational in charge. Naturally, John proceeded to beat the stuffing out of most outspoken of these gossipers. Claire tried to pull him off, not wanting him to get in trouble with the school again. John shot her a dirty look and shoved her away. Adrion caught her, and the two of them could do nothing but watch until teachers came to put a stop to the carnage. This act of violence resulted in John getting suspended for two days. Claire went over to his house demanding an apology. She was shocked to hear him say that she was the one who should be sorry for telling him what to do despite being a low-tier. Claire insisted that she wasn't trying to embarrass him, and that she just wanted to keep him from getting into deeper trouble. John was confident that they wouldn't get ant stricter with him, and turned his back on Claire. It stung her to see that her friend grew so callous.

Claire's Clairvoyance soon became a curse. She kept getting visions of John growing more violent as his power continued to evolve. She wanted them to stop, but she had no way of blocking them out. Claire swore never to share any of these subsequent visions with John ever again. But it was too late to do any good, since John was beginning to figure out new tricks on his own. When he mentioned how he felt everbody's aura without even needing to power up, Claire knew it was just a matter of time before things got really ugly. When John asked her if she thought he'd gone up a level, she was only willing to say it was possible. Then one day, while Claire and Adrion were studying in the library, John approached them and extended an invitation for them to spectate his upcoming Turf Wars match. The two were apprehensive about the offer, since only Royals were supposed to be allowed at the battlefield. John promised that it was fine if the *King* said so. And so the intrigued pair went, and learned they had been tricked. John had enlisted them as Turf Wars substitutes against their will and without telling the other Royals. Claire and Adrion weren't at risk of actually fighting against the strongest students in the region, but only because John wanted all the experience for himself. This wasn't a one-time thing either, and Claire was forced to watch John make her visions come true in the most horrifying ways he could manage. She eventually couldn't take it anymore, and made her reservations with John clear. He seemed receptive, and said he would dial it back next time. Since he was even willing to approve of her idea that they grab drinks on the way to the battlefield, Claire felt like John's victories might fell as good as they did at the start. But she would learn that John was fine with lying in order to get what he wanted.

That day was just one more bloody spectacle John forced them to watch. Adrion, also unable to cope with it any longer, actually rushed in and tried to push John off of his victim. Having gotten his attention, Adrion tried to reason with John, hoping that they could immediately claim a win for New Bostin and depart. John struck him down, for he wanted no less a victory than to utterly decimate his enemies. Claire leapt in for Adrion's sake, and called John out for hurting his friend. John struck her as well, and told them that they had no right to question anything he chose to do, and that they were lucky weaklings like them had somebody to fight their battles. Claire shouted that the other school stopped fighting back ages ago, and begged him to relent. John refused to show any mercy, for none had ever been shown to him. Claire realized that any suggestion she had that involved him becoming kinder would go unheard.

Despite her estranged friendship with John, Claire still tried reach out to others, including faculty and John's father, in the hopes they might be able to bring her friend back for her. But none of these desparate attempts succeeded. Claire bitterly decided that she no longer wanted to be party to anything involving the King. She learned that he had replaced her with another student, but she tried not to let it get under her skin. Over time, not even the school staff could keep John under control, and the notoriety he gave the school allowed him to get away with pretty much anything. Since nobody could say a word against John without risking his wrath, the student body directed their scorn towards his earliest former supporter. Claire knew she deserved it for starting him down this path. Just when it seemed that the end was nigh for New Bostin High, Claire had one more vision about John. She was facing him down at the battlefield, with Zirian and an army of their schoolmates behind her. The outcome of this encounter wasn't clear, but she had to take the chance that she might be able to convince John to end his bloody reign. She approached the King-turned-Jack after school the next day and offered to help him remove John from power, for everybody's sake. Zirian would have rather ended her as punishment for her role in the fiasco. But he gave her the chance to convince him to restrain himself. Knowing that a meeting with John wouldn't entice him, Claire lied and claimed that the vision she had ended with them successfully dethroning John. She added that she had foreseen this long before she even met John, but miscalculated her ability to exploit his trust and rule from behind the throne. Despite the promising future he was told about, Zirian told Claire that she was nevertheless a lowlife for playing the king she pledged loyalty to. He agreed to consider her plan only because the alternative was to stand by and watch as John destroyed the school. Despite her inability to know what her vision would truly result in, Claire was determined to make up for her mistake in helping John.

Claire later heard back from Zirian that he had come around to making her vision come true. So she wrote a note to John saying that she wanted to show him something in the field and left it in his mailbox. Claire met up with Zirian's group there afterwards. Zirian warned her that he and his restless gang were counting on John showing up to be dethroned. Claire tried to calm the crowd down and warned them not to show hostility before she spoke with John. But despite her role in guiding them all here, nobody was interested in how she thought the encounter should play out. When John arrived and saw Claire with a crowd behind her, he immediately took an accusatory tone. Claire tried to show John that the ire he had inspired resulted in a crowd's worth of discontent. But this did nothing to inspire a change in him. All he saw was a brazen attempt to oust him. Claire called John out for being so narrow-minded on what inspired people to act, but John just continued throwing everything into chaos. He told everybody present that he would never lose, no matter how big their group of rebels got. Zirian's army immediately gave up on diplomacy and decided to deal with John the old-fashioned way. Claire's shouts that activating their abilities only worked to his advantage went unheeded. Sure enough, John became unstoppable, and Claire had no choice but to witness him crush all opposition. When he had finished with everybody else, John walked up to Claire, grabbed her by the hair, and demanded she explain herself. Despite knowing it would do nothing to change his mind, Claire tearfully shouted that it was his own fault that everybody hated having him as king. She broke free of his grasp and slapped him before demanding that he reflect on what his climb to the top had transformed him into. She spelled out that she wished she could take back ever helping him gain power he did nothing but abuse. John furiously ordered her to shut up, but she dared him to make her the same way he always dealt with people who offended him. As John lunged, Claire looked him dead in the eye and called him a monster. It was the last thing she said before he knocked her out with one blow.

She awoke later in the hospital, and learned of what happened just after John had finished off her group. Adrion had seen the entire bloodbath, and reported it to the Authorities while John watched. For his brave act of cutting ties, he was beaten as well. But the tyrant king was expelled from New Bostin and taken into custody. Claire was left with little more than regret: partly for not being strong enough for John to acknowledge her, but mostly for telling him about his ability in the first place. Claire later heard that John transferred to a prep school in Wellston Town after he was released. She was glad to have a great distance put between them.

Claire had since let Adrion in on what she had intended to do that day. (He had been under the assumption that what he discretely overheard her say to Zirian was the truth). With the truth out in the open, Claire and Adrion started hanging out again. And with John out of the picture, Claire was happier than she had been in a long while.

## Plot

### Corruption

One day, while she was in her apartment folding clothes, Claire got a call. She didn't recognize the number, nor the voice on the other end of the line. But the mysterious caller knew her name. She introduced herself as Seraphina, and said that she had some questions for her. Claire figured that she was a telemarketer, and declined taking whatever survey she was offering. She hung up, but Seraphina called again right away. Claire picked up and expressed acute annoyance at this display of persistence. Seraphina clarified that her purpose for calling had to do with a need for help with Claire's former classmate, John. Needless to say, Claire was shocked to hear that name spoken by someone she had never met. Acting quickly, she said that, how Seraphina acquired her number aside, she wished for John's transfer to that snobby school was the last she ever wanted to hear about him. Claire advised her to seek out help from one of his classmates there, but Seraphina explained that she *was* one of John's classmates. Claire wasn't given much time to get over her little foot-in-mouth moment, for she was told that she alone might be the key to helping. Seraphina explained that their phone call came about because of a recent argument where John addressed her as "Claire." Stunned at the improbable circumstances, Claire hoped that this was the kind of conversation in which she could give Seraphina her blessing to become John's girlfriend and be done with it. Alas, this was more serious than a jealous sweetheart.

Seraphina informed her that John had become agitated because of his past and Claire's involvement in it. Upon learning that even the high-tiers of Wellston were unable to stand up to John, Claire remarked how unfortunate it was that expulsion and arrest failed to teach John his lesson. Seraphina asked her to elaborate on that last surprising bit. And so Claire gave a condensed version of her sordid early high-school years. Seraphina had prior knowledge of the rebellion, but not that Claire had organized it. Claire swore that she didn't want any kind of confrontation, but any other attempts to reason with the violent tyrant were folly. Seraphina brought bad tidings that John was at it again in Wellston. Claire was compelled to apologize for her guiding role in John's transformation. Seraphina sought the whole story, so Claire made sure that she was in it for the long haul. They set up a video chat, and Claire started from the beginning of middle school.

At the bloody conclusion of her story, Claire found herself crying at the bitter memories of John's hypocrisy. She wailed how miserable it was that things turned out the way they did with a king who should have known better than anybody else. Ashamed that she was sobbing out of control, Claire forced herself to regain her composure. Seraphina, having listened intently all the way through, assured Claire that she wasn't at fault for John's choices. What's more, it may have been because of her efforts that John came to Wellston with the intent to preach peace and compromise under the guise of a cripple. Claire was admittedly stunned, but quickly realized that circumstances meant that John didn't follow through on his change. She inquired whether John was using his tried-and-true playbook and rank-advancement and making examples of his opposition. After getting confirmation, Claire had only one suggestion as someone in the know: never forget that the person Seraphina thought she understood was really a beast is beyond reason. Seraphina was dismayed to hear this, but Claire could only apologize again.

Claire quizzed Seraphina as to whether John truly established himself as Wellston's strongest student. Seraphina replied that he still hadn't contended with the Ace: herself. Surprised, Claire asked if fear had kept her from trying to defeat him. Seraphina explained that she hadn't actually considered him an enemy to combat, not that it mattered at present. Claire was surprised to hear that Seraphina was out of commission due to her ability being "compromised." Claire was curious as to how that was even possible, but with the late hour Seraphina said that another long story was best saved for another night. Not having realized that the time flew by, Claire agreed and wished her new friend the best of luck in her quest to get her groove back. Seraphina promised to call back when she did.

### Square One

Claire was later contacted once more by Seraphina, who informed her that she was liable to get her ability back soon. Claire asked if things had gotten any better with John since their last chat, only to be told that the opposite was true. Seraphina explained that her recovery might turn things around, though she lamented that a fight with John might be unavoidable. Claire warned her to take care with him.

A couple of weeks afterward, Claire got a knock at her door. Claire ran over to look through the peephole. She was mortified to see John standing outside. With no desire to deal with him, she sank to the floor right by the entrance. Claire silently wished for him to just leave her be. After a tense moment, Claire tried to get in touch with Seraphina in the hopes that she could tell her whether her efforts paid off. But for reasons unknown, Seraphina was unable to answer her phone. So Claire tried pretending he wasn't there in the hopes that he would take the hint and leave. But when John called out to her, she decided they may as well reopen old wounds together. She asked why he came back, and he replied that he wanted answers. He asked if the story he heard about their first meeting was true, but answering truthfully only led to him questioning why she decided to be his friend. Claire said that empathy was its own reason, which John refused to believe.

She answered that they should just drop the issue if that's how he felt, but John expressed a great need to learn the truth. Indifferent to his wishes, Claire sarcastically offered to tell him she really was the conniving schemer he accused her of being if it would just make him go away. John again demanded the truth, and Claire shot back that he wasn't accepting the harsh reality, same as always. Making her impatience with this roundabout argument known, Claire asked John what he was *really* after. John shouted that he didn't know, and startled Claire when he banged on her door. John copped to just being a confused mess who couldn't tell real from fake. Claire asked why his issues should be any concern of hers, to which John replied that they all started with her. He reasoned that his life might be in order if only she steered clear of him. But Claire called him out on pinning the blame on others. Recalling the encouraging words Seraphina told her, she let him know that her assistance in refining his ability did not make her responsible for his choices.

Though John tried to use Claire's counter to accuse her of trying to lead an army against somebody she couldn't control, she heatedly called him out for such a stupid rationale. She assertively shouted that her actions were born out of a long-shot effort to make him aware of the horrors he was inflicting. John dared to ask her why she didn't tell him to his face instead of doing something so underhanded. Claire mirthlessly reminded John of the ***many*** times he attacked her for doing just that. She began to tear up as she recounted how she tried helping him by reaching out to adults he might listen to, despite his ingratitude. She then ranted about how she wasted her time hoping that John would change, only to be ignored and disappointed each and every time. Cursing her foolish decision to try and reach out to a person who still can't calm down and listen to reason, Claire screamed that John needed to give up this pointless argument and leave. The only sounds that were heard after that were John's fading footsteps and Claire's soft sobbing.

A couple of days afterwards when school let out, a worried Seraphina finally responded to Claire's attempted phone call. Claire told Seraphina about John's surprise visit, and assuaged all concerns for her well-being. She was still reeling over the fact that John actually honored a simple request, and admitted that she found it refreshing to see John get knocked down a few pegs. Claire congratulated Seraphina, who responded that John deserved some of the credit for changing, much to Claire's disbelief. With Claire's good health confirmed, the two of them went about their separate business.

The next day, Claire returned home from grocery shopping and saw John outside her door attempting to have a conversation with her when she wasn't around. She barely had time to wonder why he didn't back off like he was supposed to before having a vision of John meeting a mysterious white-haired man. Vexed yet again by her involuntary power, Claire's presence was finally noticed. John picked up on what had just happened, and tried to inquire about what she had seen. Claire snapped at him to not get any closer, and told him that she refused to break her vow not to tell others about her visions. She asked why he returned when she made herself perfectly clear the last time that she didn't want him around anymore.

John told Claire that he'd been thinking about their previous conversation, and admitted she was right about how he always blamed his actions on others. He also apologized for being blind to the trauma he put Claire through when she was only trying to be a good friend. He expressed his intention to be a better person and offered to do whatever it took to do right by Claire. But she told him that there was nothing worth salvaging between them and would rather John stay out of her life. However, Claire couldn't help but remark how glad she was to see genuine change in John and gave him some advice. The friend he didn't deserve was out there, and for her sake he ought to keep his word and not put her through the wringer as well. John was slow to understand, so Claire revealed that she and Seraphina had been in touch. Claire added that despite the stories they traded, Seraphina continued to defend John. She warned John never to take such loyalty for granted this time around before politely asking him to stop blocking the door, as Claire headed inside.

## Powers & Abilities

**Clairvoyance**: Claire has the ability to see visions of the future. It cannot be willfully activated and activates at random times, as most of these times involve the people she normally interacts with on a daily basis. She lacks the knowledge that her visions are warnings not supposed to be recreated. Due to past experiences, Claire refuses to tell anyone else her visions as nothing good ever came out of her misinterpretations of them.

## Relationships

### John

Claire and John became friends at New Bostin Middle School, which continued into their early years of high school. Claire's prophetic ability was the catalyst for John discovering and developing his ability. Claire was also the first person to notice John's behavior take a turn for the worse, and feel powerless as both her friend and friendship deteriorated. Despite their strained relationship, Claire would try to confront John about his tyrannical behavior and tried desperately and unsuccessfully for two years to get through to him. These attempts would only stir up John's ire and culminated in a confrontation that would have devastating consequences for them both.

The aftermath led Claire to finally give up on John, deeming him a lost cause and calling him **"monster"** before being hospitalized at John's hand. On the other side, a grave misunderstanding about Claire's intentions (caused by Adrion overhearing Claire lying to a New Bostin student) would leave John paranoid and believing that Claire had only been out for power (although this effect was likely worsened by his rehabilitation courses under Keon).

This strained relationship would be tested once more when John returns to New Bostin in order to uncover the truth of Claire's past intentions. Ultimately, John would realize that Claire was not the power-hungry manipulator he once thought her to be, and though he would try to make amends, Claire has no intentions of salvaging their friendship. Despite her intentions to keep John out of her life, she does legitimately wish him the best at bettering himself, possibly concluding the turbulent relationship between the two.

### Adrion

Claire appears to be quite close with Adrion, and the two were quite close with John during their days at New Bostin. They had a brief falling out during high school due to Adrion's continued loyalty to John. But they patched things up after John sent them both to the hospital. They continue to hang out to the present day.

### Seraphina

After their call about John, the two became friends. The two frequently talk over a video call. Claire is understandably confused at Seraphina's dedication to saving John from himself, and flat-out admits her belief that he's a lost cause to her. Given that even full disclosure on John's terrible actions at New Bostin wasn't enough to dissuade Seraphina from trying to save him, Claire views her as too good a friend for the likes of John.

On a side note, Claire is low-key amazed that Wellston's Rank One is polite and mellow.

## Notes & Trivia

* She was called by Seraphina and talked about John
* Her name was first revealed on uru-chan's Twitter. She has since been identified in John's flashback in Chapter 42.
* Chapter 175 reveals that Claire has an Instagram account. Said instagram account can be found here.
* Claire's color scheme is an inversion of Seraphina's.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Chapter 180
2. ↑ Chapter 181
3. ↑ Chapter 226
4. ↑ Chapter 182
5. ↑ Chapter 183
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chapter 184
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Chapter 229
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Chapter 185
9. ↑ Chapter 54
10. ↑ Chapter 227
11. ↑ Chapter 175
12. ↑ Chapter 228
13. ↑ Chapter 230
14. ↑ Chapter 231