John/Season 2 pt 1

## Plot

### Fallout

After single-handedly overthrowing all of the Royals, John was given a warning from Headmaster Vaughn: no more violence would be tolerated. John's argued that he acted in defense, but the headmaster warned John that this would be his final warning. After leaving the office, John tried to contact Seraphina, but she refused his calls. Concerned for his best friend, John went to visit Seraphina that night. After surprising Elaine with his visit, John attempted to cheer up the depressed Seraphina, but she simply wanted to be left alone. Before he left, however, John spitefully asked Elaine if she told Seraphina his secret. The Healer denied telling the Ace, and John warned her to continue remaining silent.

The next day, John then went into an abandoned classroom to think about Seraphina's reaction from the day before until he was interrupted by an irate Cecile. Even though he was in his right to announce himself as the new King of Wellston, John had yet to make a public declaration. Cecile was annoyed with John's nonchalant behavior, but he simply told Cecile that there was no need to rush. John resumed trying to call Seraphina that evening, though he was met with failure. He tried to figure out why she seemed to avoid him, when he suddenly recalled that the last time they hung out was when she asked if he was Joker. He couldn't believe that she suspected him again after he told her that he wasn't. John wondered who among those in the know would have the gall to betray his secret. He shook off this worry, and convinced himself that he could dispel the issue entirely just by reassuring Seraphina again. He told himself he wasn't Joker, though at his core he was trying to convince himself he wasn't a monster.

Thanks to John's refusal to give up his anonymity, other opportunistic students took it upon themselves to don black masks like his so they could use his reputation to attack their enemies without fear of retaliation. Cecile called John over to inform him of the emergence of his impersonators, but he didn't care. She demanded that he step in and put an end to this chaos. John asked her point blank what she was going to do if he refused. Cecile reminded him that she agreed to help him dethrone Arlo in exchange for running Wellston alongside him as Queen. Fed up with her nagging, John slammed Cecile against the wall and clarified what her position was. He never considered her to be a vital asset to his plans, and she had no say whatsoever in his decision-making. Later that evening, he encountered Blyke in the dorm they once shared and asked why he came back. John's former roommate informed him that he just came to collect the last of his belongings. John showed no remorse for what he put Blyke through, which did not go unnoticed.

John continued to try to re-establish his relationship with Seraphina. One day, he tried to head to her Trigonometry class in the hopes of catching her when it ended. On his way there, he encountered Seraphina and Evie being menaced by a student impersonating him. He was horrified that a student who looked him was attacking the one person in school he cared about. After seeing that Seraphina couldn't hold her own against this Joker's ability for much longer, John rushed in and punched the impostor. For a moment, John saw the Joker on the ground as himself back at New Bostin. As he checked on Seraphina's well-being, the Joker stood back up, prompting Seraphina to kick her attacker away. John smiled now that they were fighting as a team. The Joker lunged at Seraphina again, but John also punched him away, mocking his apparent struggle with fighting two cripples. The Joker tried posturing, but of course John was unfazed. John nimbly tripped Joker as he lunged towards them, and Seraphina knocked him out as he was falling with a knee to the face. John was happy with their joint victory.

    He raised his hand in the hopes for a celebratory high five, but Seraphina left him hanging. She bluntly stated that this was no cause for celebration. She bent down and unmasked the unconscious Joker. John was surprised to see that it was a girl wearing a boy's uniform. Seraphina pointed out that this was a sure sign that anybody could impersonate Joker now, which John agreed with. Seraphina darkly informed him that this was a prelude to a future where no student was immune from attack. She looked John in the eye and wondered aloud if these consequences were intentional on Joker's part. John seemed disturbed by the question, but chose to continue playing dumb. Evie suddenly piped up with amazement of their fighting prowess, adding that she recognized their attacker from their math class. When she realized her leg was in pain, Seraphina helped her up and began walking her to the infirmary. John offered to carry her, but Seraphina coldly said that John had done enough. Once he was alone with his impersonator, he picked her unconscious form up and wrote her off as trash before kicking her.

John's frustration increased as Seraphina continued to avoid him. Cecile approached him and asked if he was still indifferent to the Joker situation. He told her off, but Cecile caught him off guard by asking if Seraphina had been a target for attack. She said it was only a matter of time until people went after the former Ace for payback or prestige. John bitterly remarked that everybody was truly garbage. Cecile wondered whether John's goal really was to put an end to Seraphina's mistreatment, seeing as how his actions only made her situation worse. Offended, John approached Cecile and asked if she thought *he* was to blame for the school's surplus of "greedy f\*cks." Choosing her next words *very* carefully, Cecile pointed out that Seraphina's past association with the Royals had kept most of her enemies at bay before. Now that her allies were publicly defeated by an unknown, students were free to use Joker's reputation to attack her without being held responsible. Cecile pleaded that John reveal himself as King, if only for Seraphina's sake. John once again refused, deciding that Cecile could adequately watch over and protect her.

Days later, John called Cecile over for a progress report. She informed him that three Jokers had attacked Seraphina that day. She let Seraphina handle the first, stopped the second one herself, and the third ran away when he saw Arlo approaching. John was alarmed at that last one, as he didn't want his best friend affiliating with his arch-nemesis anymore. Cecile continued by saying that they were having a conversation, during which John's name was brought up. It seemed to John that Seraphina was going to organize a coup just as Claire did back in New Bostin. He was outraged that Seraphina didn't avoid Arlo like he told her too, and confused that she didn't come to him instead. Cecile asked whether or not John was grossly underestimating Seraphina's intellect. It would only be natural for the smartest student in Wellston to realize who the real Joker is. Since John hadn't offered to use his power to protect her from all these emerging Jokers, she turned to Arlo instead. Cecile suggested that the best course of action for splitting them up again was for John to admit to ushering in this chaos. This advice enraged John to the point of knocking Cecile to the ground with a mighty slap. He claimed that the existence of Seraphina's enemies predated his actions, and were thus no fault of his. He insisted that he was forced to take action because she was left defenceless after losing her ability. He declared himself blameless, to Cecile's stunned disbelief. He bent down and demanded to know what they said about him. When she didn't answer immediately, he grabbed and shook her to loosen her lips. Cecile shrieked that she didn't know, as they weren't close enough to for her to hear the conversation clearly. Disappointed, John called Cecile useless before he left the room. John sat in his dorm that night as he attempted to reach Seraphina over the phone, hoping to prevent a repeat of the New Bostin disaster. When his call was once again ignored, he threw his phone to the ground and reflexively ordered Seraphina (who was nowhere nearby) to answer. He couldn't figure out why she didn't remain loyal to him after everything he did for her.

### Responsibility

Some days later at Wellston, John was exiting his class when he saw Seraphina waiting for him. He walked up and greeted her with a smile. At her behest, they went to an abandoned classroom for a private conversation. Seraphina asked John to stop pretending that he isn't Joker. John continued to lie, even when Seraphina brought up how she witnessed his battle against the Royals, and that his mask didn't prevent her from recognizing his fighting stance. John took a demanding tone with Seraphina and said that their friendship should be reason enough for her to accept anything he says as the truth. He then, desperately, asked Seraphina if she really thought he could be so monstrous as to do what Joker's done. He begged her to take his side, telling her it's the only thing in the world that matters to him. Seraphina told him that she can help him, but only if he was honest. When John denied it yet again, she brought up specific details about his past. At the mention of his old hometown, his expulsion, and his true rank, John finally saw the reality of his situation. Losing his temper, John demanded that Seraphina tell him who gave her his personal info. She told him she sought it out for herself, which infuriated him. They then argued about everything they went through over the past week, with John angry that Seraphina overstepped her bounds by looking into his past. Seraphina shot back that his refusal to tell the truth for his own good forced her to make his past her business. She then asked whether he even realized the fear, pain, and suffering his actions as Joker has caused. John accused Seraphina of being the ignorant one for not noticing how screwed the school's hierarchy was, and hailed himself as a champion for giving those at the top a taste of their own medicine. He did not consider the current situation as his problem, despite all evidence to the contrary. He grabbed Seraphina by the wrist and told her she had no right to complain about what she was going through after spending only a short time as a low-tier. Seraphina made one last appeal to her friend by invoking the ideals he once preached to her, and that she could offer to help him come to terms with whatever he did at New Bostin. John refused to reopen old wounds, and denounced any prior beliefs he had in *Unordinary*. He told Seraphina that she was nothing more a cripple that couldn't even defend herself, let alone be of any help to him. He twisted the knife by saying that she should worry more about herself instead of being an insufferable know-it-all. Seraphina, on the verge of tears, gave up on reasoning with John and demanded that he let go of her arm. When John tried to make it clear he wasn't done talking to her, Seraphina stunned him by slapping him across the cheek.  As Seraphina turned to leave the room, John began having flashbacks of Claire. He grabbed Seraphina by the arm again, only for her to break free and demand that he not touch her. He yells out Claire's name, saying that he kicked her butt once and could do it again, confusing Seraphina. Arlo then enters the classroom and tells John to leave Seraphina alone. John, shocked to see Arlo, muddled his past and the present even further by recalling Adrion. He accused them of teaming up against him and punched Arlo. Unfazed, Arlo told John to get a grip and take a good at who else he was threatening. John was asked if he was going to turn against the best friend after hospitalizing several students over slights against her. John quickly accused her of betraying him first by siding with Arlo, who took away every good thing in his life for some insane reason he couldn't fathom. John ordered Arlo and Seraphina to never appear before him again and declared that they are both dead to him. After they left, John fell to his knees and cried, asking himself why everything always had to end up like this.

A few days later, John was still trying to cope with losing Seraphina as he walked up some stairs in Wellston. When he reached the top, he saw students reading the latest issue of the Wellston Weekly, showing his true identity. The crowd suddenly noticed his presence, and he began to walk down the hallway. The students whispered about whether the article was true or false as John walked past them. All agreed not to risk finding out the hard way..with one exception. John had reached an empty hallway of the school when Kalum called out and approached him. He asked John whether the article was actually true.

John didn't see fit to provide an answer, which Kalum considered to be proof that the newspaper was just using John as a scapegoat. Kalum began messing with him in earnest, and placed his hand on John's shoulder. John, in a threatening voice, told Kalum to get his hand off him. Kalum instead slammed John into the lockers and challenged him to force him off, confident that there would be no consequences for his cruelty. The infuriated John punched Kalum hard in the face. Kalum decided that he needed to teach the "cripple" a lesson, and attacked John with his Phantom Push ability. John dodged the projectile and activated his Aura Manipulation to copy Kalum's ability, to the latter's stunned horror. John scored a direct hit on Kalum with Phantom Push, which drove the weakened bully to attempt an apology. John bashed the back of Kalum's head against wall with another projectile before he could finish speaking, knocking him out. John then proceeded to beat up the unconscious Kalum until he was all bloodied and bruised. When he was finally through, John left through a door, leaving Kalum's battered body on the ground.

### Safe House

The next day, the rumors of John as Joker spread further throughout the school. John was walking outside at Wellston's schoolyard, and was reminded of the students at New Bostin when he heard everyone around him murmuring about the threat he could pose. Suddenly, John found his path blocked by Zeke, Julien, and Mardin. Zeke announced to everyone around them that John was not actually Joker, and that he and his lackeys would prove it. The surrounding students seemed to be convinced by his declaration, and expressed their desire to see John beaten up. As the crowd jeered and glared at him in disgust, John wondered why he ever bothered to hold back in the face of such brazen contempt. He resigned to the fact that if the possibility of him being Joker didn't dissuade others from antagonizing him, then all hope for a peaceful existence was for naught. After Zeke taunted him for his uncharacteristic silence, John made up his mind and decided that nobody deserved his mercy. John finally spoke up and asked Zeke if he didn't get his fill of humiliation during the "lunch-bag incident." This choice of words alarmed Zeke. who took a step step back as John approached. John took notice of this and called Zeke a coward, provoking the trio to activate their abilities and rush at John. Zeke swings at John, but John dodged and activated his ability before running past Zeke and grabbing Mardin by the throat with one hand. Mardin tried divert John's wrath to Zeke, but John slammed his head down onto the concrete ground. John said that Zeke would get what was coming to him soon enough. Having witnessed John's display of power, the crowd panicked and cleared out of the area. John then kicked the downed Mardin in the stomach and sent him crashing into a wall.

    Julien, who was alarmed and shocked by John easily defeating Mardin, cried out that he never did anything to deserve the same. He tried to run to Zeke for help, ignoring orders to stay back. John delivered a powerful roundhouse to Julien's face while looking Zeke dead in the eye. After Julien was rendered unconscious, Zeke tried to escape only for John to outpace him and foil his efforts. Zeke threw a punch at John, who easily blocked it with one hand and broke his arm with the other, weakening Zeke. John then told Zeke how he still remembered how Zeke "welcomed" John to the dorms. John then proceeded to beat up Zeke and pinned him against a wall, asking him how it felt to be on the receiving end.

Zeke tried to apologize to John, but John was not willing to accept the apology. He told Zeke that they both knew he would only say "sorry" to someone who was far too powerful to beat up. John then threw Zeke down onto the ground before attempting to gruesomely stomp on his head, saying "Enjoy your time in hell." But Zeke then desperately apologized to John, saying that he knows that he messed up big time and that he will not do it again if John would just stop hitting him. John told Zeke that if he didn't want to suffer a more painful trip to the hospital, then he would have to beg for him to relent. Zeke was forced to bow as well when he hesitated. After Zeke finally begged for mercy from his face down position, John remembered the time Claire called him a monster once more. The memory no longer fazed him, since everybody was a monster by Claire's standards. In a loud voice, John yelled across the school, telling all the students of Wellston that starting this day, John is the new king. Whoever tried to cross him would get brutalized like Zeke without exceptions or mercy. John then knocked out Zeke with a kick and then walked away.

Soon enough, all of Wellston knew the truth about The Shadow King. Wherever John walked, terrified students murmured in dread and either avoided eye contact or ran away. John realized that it was just like back at New Bostin and grit his teeth. Cecile approached him and congratulated John for finally revealing himself to the school. John asked why she was so excited about it, to which she answered that she was just happy that her ally finally assumed his rightful place. John rejected Cecile's compliments and called her disgusting before cutting to the chase. He informed her that if she was hoping to get her role as press leader back, then her timing was impeccable. John then invited her to join him as he went to pay Isen a visit.

John and Cecile reach the Press Room, where he sees Seraphina, Arlo, and Isen in a meeting. He considered this collaboration as proof that they had all been conspiring against him. John ignored Seraphina's welcome and ordered the three of them to leave the room. Seraphina requested a moment of his time so that they could share the breakthrough they made on the House Invaders that attacked his home. John refused, and stated that his declaration that they're all dead to him still stood. Seraphina decided that it was best to obey him, and the three of them began to leave. Suddenly, John grabbed Isen and warned him that he was never to set foot in the room again now that Cecile was leading the press again. When Isen replied that he hated being in charge anyway, John decided to use the exposé he wrote as an excuse to menace him. This succeeded in making Isen nervous, but he remained defiantly resigned to John's threats. Arlo interferes and forces John to let go of Isen.

Arlo then advised John that a King needed people more trustworthy than Cecile. John questioned if rats like Isen were Arlo's idea of trustworthy. Arlo defended Isen by pointing out that he's proved himself dependable time and again, which was more than could be said for Cecile. This led to Arlo reminding John that Cecile approached him after she was fired as head of the press. It was apparent to Arlo that John was never told why Cecile was fired, so he decided to fill him in: Cecile was behind the news leak of Seraphina's ability loss. After reeling from shock, John bitterly recalled that hated article. Amidst Cecile's pleas for John to ignore the accusation, Arlo assured that she would inevitably betray her superiors again. John was unable to bring himself to admit Arlo was likely telling the truth, and accused him of lying. He claimed if anybody was to blame for the leak, it was the author of the article, and she was already hospitalized for what she did. Arlo declared that if John was unable to accept the facts, then he deserved whatever he had coming. Now incited to teach Arlo a lesson, John ordered Cecile to activate her ability. Cecile refused, while Arlo boldly claimed that her ability alone wouldn't be enough to beat him. Seraphina then yelled that escalating things wouldn't help anybody. Arlo agreed, and he bid farewell to the new King. The trio ignored John's revised orders to stay and accept his punishment. Cecile tried to calm John, but he turned and slapped her across the face for not activating her ability as he ordered. Cecile tells John that she did not want another fight to break out, but he replied that what *she* wanted was irrelevant.

He warned that she would suffer if she ever disobeyed him again before he brought up the article about Seraphina's ability loss again. John was clearly torn between his certainty that treachery among the high-ranks indeed existed and his own personal distrust of Arlo. He decided that the best course of action would be to let Cecile keep her restored position whole imposing very clear caveats. First, Cecile was not to attempt to manipulate him into giving her special treatment. Second, the press belonged to John despite Cecile being the one managing it, so nothing was to be published without his approval. Finally, Cecile would be the first to pay dearly if any news was leaked without John's permission.

A day later, John was walking through the campus when he overheard two other students discussing the ad for Safe House. They excitedly mentioned that the presence of the Royals might make this club worth checking out. They quickly left the area when the finally notice John, who is left wondering what this "Safe House" was supposed to be. Later on while John was walking in the empty school hallways, he noticed that Zeke was tailing him. John turned to a corner and waited until Zeke got close enough for him to punch in the face. John was angered at the thought that Zeke believed that his approach wouldn't be noticed. Zeke tried to explain himself, but John shoved him to the ground. Zeke insisted that he only wanted to acknowledge John as King and to offer his services. John rebuked Zeke for insulting his intelligence, and ordered him to stay away.

John later waited in an empty classroom for Remi to answer his summons to appoint the next Jack, as was customary when the title of King or Queen was passed. Remi arrived late due to class, which John still chewed her out for. Remi did not protest John choosing Cecile over Arlo, knowing beforehand that it was a forgone conclusion. Remi thought their business was concluded and began to leave when John stopped her. He asked whether she thought that being so agreeable would conceal anything from him. He held up one of the Safe House fliers and observed that they started going up after he publicly declared himself King before crumpling up the paper and lobbing it at Remi's head. He accused Remi of forming the club with the other Royals in order to undermine his newfound authority. Remi denied the accusations, and pointed out that the club was conceptualized and got staff approval *before* John became King. She added that Safe House was partially inspired by the earlier discussion they shared. Remi's sales pitch did not impress John, who scoffed at the idea that Arlo and Blyke cared about helping anyone. Remi disagreed, and listed several other students who were helping her, unaware that John had a grudge against each one. But it was the mention of Seraphina's name that made John go from surly to berserk. John rejected Remi's invitation to join them for the first meeting, saying he wants nothing to do with the Safe House. He continued to hurl insults at her and her efforts until Remi stood up against his hypocrisy. She asked what it would take for John to finally be satisfied. He answered that satisfying him was beyond their power, for they were all garbage. Not surprised by this answer, Remi challenged John to show the "garbage" how to care of problems. It was his responsibility as King to use his influence to deal with school issues, after all. John attempted to pin all the blame on others again, but Remi called him out on constantly expecting others to solve problems when he was supposed be the most qualified to do so. John warned Remi to watch her tone, but she shot back that all the threats in the world wouldn't stop her from working on Safe House. Before Remi exited the classroom, John swore that Remi's Safe House club will fail, and that she would finally see her folly.

The next day, John burst into the Press Room and ordered Cecile to prepare a front page article about Remi's new club. He wanted everyone to know that all who joined Safe House would become his enemy for as long as he was around. Cecile attempts to talk him out of it, insisting that the newspaper was not meant to deviate from its unbiased stance in order to further anyone's individual agenda. She adds that there was no need to meddle in the affairs of a club that the school staff had already approve of. After chewing out Cecile for talking back to him, John reminds her that he was the one who restored her position as leader of the press. If she didn't do as he said, then he could take it away from her. John then turned to the rest of the press team, who witnessed him marginalize Cecile's actual responsibilities, and repeated his warning before leaving the room. While he made his way through yet another hallway full of nervous students, John came face-to-face with Zeke ***again***.

     This time, his former bully brought a drink for him and asked how his day was going. Well past his tolerance for Zeke's continued presence, John swiped the can out of his hand and poured its contents all over the sycophant's head. John called Zeke a dumbass and told him that he never wanted to see him again. Said dumbass remained persistent, and repeated the same tired lines of having changed his ways and that he only wanted to help. But all of John's attention was focused on was some more Safe House fliers on a bulletin board. John saw fit to punish Remi for blaming him for her mistakes, and realized he could do so while simultaneously putting some much-wanted distance between him and the blue-haired pest. He ordered Zeke to take down every single Safe House flier in the school. He added that he would kill Zeke if any remained at the end of the week.

### Tyrants

John had finished getting ready for school when he realized that the Safe House flier was still in his uniform pocket. He looked at it, and recalled Remi's claims that the club was to promote peace among the ranks. He continued to harbor doubt that the Royals had any noble intentions for a club that only popped up after he had become King. He still believed it to be a farce that was meant to avoid answering to the enemy they failed to keep off the throne. Whatever their plans were, John thought they didn't deserve a Safe House.

The deadline for Zeke's assignment had arrived. He had failed, and John proceeded to punish him for it. Zeke insisted that it was all going smoothly before Blyke interfered. John wasn't impressed by this excuse, but Zeke went on to tell a story of how Blyke had gotten strong enough to show brazen irreverence to the new King. John quickly grew fed up with the list of insults Zeke claimed he heard the former Jack utter, and shut up his lackey with a punch. John made a Plan B: Zeke was to attend the Safe House opening later that day and compile a list of the names of everybody who attended.

But Zeke failed this mission as well. John grabbed Zeke by the collar and demanded to know how Zeke managed to screw up such a simple assignment. Zeke claimed that he went there in peace to join as John had instructed him. But they kicked him out for nothing, completely contrary to what the welcoming message their posters advertised. Zeke then spoke of how all the members shared a hatred of the new king, and that nobody affiliated with him was allowed there, probably because they were plotting against him. This was all one big lie, of course. But since it aligned with his perception of Safe House, John accepted it as truth without thinking twice. He steeled himself to take more drastic measures to expose Remi and her friends as frauds.

John prowled the school's East Courtyard one day, accompanied by Zeke. They eventually heard Alden and his friend approaching, discussing the protection offered by joining Safe House. John heard his name come up as well, namely that he wasn't dedicated to backing up his threats. When the two students rounded the corner and saw John himself glaring at them, they tried to walk away as though they said nothing. Zeke forced the two students to stand before the King and face judgement. John silently stood by whilst Zeke did most of the dirty work and spoke to onlookers on his behalf. This went on to the point where Alden swore that he would never join Safe House. Zeke was just about to menace the helpless student further, a beam of energy drew everybody's attention. Blyke had arrived, and demanded that John stop this madness. John challenged Blyke to end it himself, calmly kicking the downed Alden in the chest.

Zeke continued by boasting, only to fail to back it up when he actually engaged Blyke and lost. The former Jack mocked John over his lack of options when it came to willing lackeys. John claimed that it wasn't near as pathetic as hiding away in some room with other fallen leaders, and propelled himself towards Blyke with the copied Energy Discharge. Blyke dodged John's punch, and ran off. John gave chase, having forgotten about the two students he was dealing with entirely. It wasn't long before he caught up with Blyke, shot out his legs, and kicked him. As soon as he had Blyke in his grasp, John made it clear that there was no way the club's plot would work, and that he would destroy it. Blyke remained defiant, and demanded to know why John was so bitter about the club. John punched him and only answered that Safe House had no right to exist. Down but not out, Blyke called John's methods into question. Rather than end them personally, the King sent Zeke to sabotage them instead. John's claim of not wanting to exert the effort was not convincing to Blyke, who suggested that John was *afraid* of seeing the other Royals succeed in establishing peace. Taken aback by this insult, John knocked him out and told him not to speak as if he comprehended the new King. He walked off with Zeke lagging behind, leaving the unconscious Blyke for someone else to deal with.

One later evening at the dormitories, John had completed his daily workout routine. He gazed around at the lonely dorm, with memories of Blyke cordially greeting him coming to mind. Then came the memory of his former roommate calling him a coward for refusing to admit that the other high-rankers were outgrowing him. John punched the wall to silence the echoes of Blyke's insults in his head. Now driven to prove him wrong, John decided to go to the club himself the next day in order to prove that they were nothing but rotten schemers and liars.

John and Zeke stormed into Safe House the next day. John caught sight of Seraphina engaged in a game of New Texis Hold 'em. As they stared at each other, John was whisked away to the happy time they played together at his old residence. But when the Safe House members began to loudly panic, those fleeting memories were replaced by ones when he ushered fear wherever he went in New Bostin High. He commanded everybody to remain in the room lest he break some legs. John once more hung back and watched as Zeke had his way. The majority of Safe House's members seemed intent on refusing to bow to John's will, much like his old class two years ago. Zeke got his attention by bringing up a more recent memory: a certain student who joined the club despite swearing that he never would. Looking up at the imposing King, Alden was quick to promise to quit the club, never return, and do whatever it took to appease him. But John figured that if he lied before, he'd lie again, and deserved to be punished for it. The minute he knocked out Alden, Seraphina stood up and told John to stop it.

    While everybody else in the room remained still, Seraphina walked right past John. She knelt down beside Alden to help him up, but Zeke thwarted her on behalf of his King. When she demanded he back off, John told her that she had no authority to give orders to his people. Seraphina irreverently told John that he left Alden in need of medical attention, but he replied that it served him right for refusing to obey his anti-Safe House decree. She asked whether her joining the club made them enemies as well. John reminded her that she earned his enmity long before then with her betrayal. Seraphina asked if John truly had the facts straight on which of them turned on the other. John clung to the belief that his recollection was accurate. Seraphina then asked whether he actually a proper motivation for assaulting the other club members. When he accused them all of being scoundrels, Seraphina asked whether he even recognized any of them. John brushed aside the question, and told her that his experience alone entitled him to make that judgement without the need for familiarity. What's more, they still were loyal to the Royals, his preferred guilty party for everything wrong with the school. John snapped at Seraphina when she began to point out the good they've been doing recently, and listed all his grudges with them. Seraphina countered that everything he had done in return should have settled the score and then some. John vehemently disagreed, saying that nothing was punishment enough for that bunch of has-beens. After all, it wasn't possible that they suddenly began caring about the suffering that surrounded them everyday. John denounced them all as fakes, and he didn't let Seraphina change his mind. John even went so far as to say that the Safe House ought to have been established back when he was a cripple, an outrageous statement that made Seraphina livid. She shouted that what mattered was the Safe House's presence in the here and now. She added that unlike the Royals, who proved they were willing to accept his challenge of taking better care of the school, John was still pretending that none of the serious issues in their lives were any business of his. Angry that his accusations of hiding from trouble were turned against him, John grabbed Seraphina and threatened her to watch her mouth. Instead, she looked right at him and said he was no longer the victim, and that he had no right to demonize others to avoid dealing with his issues. Frustrated with Seraphina's logic, John decided to settle their debate with might. But when he got ready to throw his punch, Seraphina grabbed the arm holding her up and stared into his eyes. The pain and disappointment in her piercing gaze reminded him of Claire again and stopped him in his tracks. He wondered how things had gotten to this point yet again.

At that moment, Blyke charged in and prepared an attack. John barely managed shift into a defensive form and copy Energy Discharge before he was blasted out of a window. Thanks to his quick action, he was able to use energy propulsions to land safely on the ground outside. The remorse he was feeling had faded, once more thanks to the red-haired student looking down at him from the room above.

John resolved to put an end to Blyke's repeated meddling. He launched himself towards Blyke, but another pulse prevented him from going back inside the room. Both then charged and fired large beams that explosively collided. John couldn't see through the smoke that resulted from the blast, but thanks to his passive, he didn't have to. He easily dodged Blyke's next attack when the ex-Jack opted to engage him far from Safe House. John shifted to defense and withstood the attack after that. When Blyke landed, John switched to attack form and punched Blyke in the stomach with blinding speed. John insulted his opponent's stubborn refusal to throw in the towel after such a sorry losing streak before propelling himself towards him once more. Blyke produced a big wave of force that caught John completely off-guard. Zeke wasn't kidding about Blyke leveling-up, though John wasn't intimidated. He dodged Blyke's next beam in midair and rushed in again upon landing. John shot a beam in order to force Blyke to dodge it so that his next attack could not be avoided. John won the fight yet again by kicking Blyke headfirst into a wall.
He picked up the fallen supervisor and gazed at him for a while.

John was truly vexed that Blyke was the only student who never shied away from taking him on. It invoked a feeling within him that he figured was "annoyance". He was about to beat his senseless victim even further when a calm voice told him to cease. He turned to see Vaughn and Keene standing behind him. Vaughn told John to release Blyke. John ignored the order and initiated a punch. But before it connected, the headmaster activated his own ability. John immediately fell limp to the ground. As Keene tended to Blyke, the headmaster had John come to his office. When they arrived, John was sternly told that he had attacked Safe House for the last time. John griped about having this restriction on top of being unable to target the Royals, and insisted that he was preemptively quelling a conspiracy against him. Vaughn bid John to explain this theory. John shared his certainty that everybody resented the fact that their old designated victim now held power over them. Vaughn tried to explain that what John was experiencing wasn't unique, and that all new Kings must struggle to be accepted. John questioned the point of putting in the effort of garnering favor with the student body. If anything, they were the ones who ought to bend over backward to appease *him*. When Vaughn asked what he was willing to give in return, John answered that their labors would forever be thankless. The weary headmaster made sure that John understood that he had one chance left to keep out of further conflict. John silently acknowledged the warning, and slammed the door on his way out.

### Square One

John holed himself up in his room the weekend after the attack. He reflected on how nobody seemed to see things as he told them to see it. All of them, even the headmaster, had the nerve to tell him that he was wrong to believe his enemies still deserved to be punished. He could not understand why they expected him to change after all his time as a victim of their actions.

Though Vaughn put a stop to violence, John still had another avenue of attack in the form of the Wellston Weekly. When school resumed, he stopped by the Press Room to give Cecile her next assignment. She was to print another front page article, this time announcing that the Safe House was finished.

Later, while out and about the school grounds, John overheard some gossip about how Arlo rejoined the Safe House. When they wondered aloud whether it was some kind of power play, a fire lit up inside of John. The gossipers and other onlookers realized it was time to give him space. But John didn't notice them, for all he could think about was what Arlo was up to.

When John took his walk indoors, he was joined by Zeke. John's attention was drawn to a newspaper read by another student. Feeling something was off, he snatched the newspaper out of the hands of that student, who scurried off without protest. John saw that the article he ordered published was nowhere to be found in the new issue of the Weekly. At once, he and Zeke stormed over to the Press Room and cornered Cecile. John demanded that Cecile explain her latest act of insubordination. Her excuse that she felt there was no need to continue the conflict with Safe House sounded like a clear case of overstepping authority from the King's perspective. Cecile reasoned that her years of experience allowed her to realize that the ill tidings preached in the article came off as pathetic. The insight failed to penetrate the mind of John, who remained convinced that the article would have been the final nail in Safe House's coffin. He reminded Cecile that she still had her positions and titles to consider, but she shot back that those were no longer worth putting up with him. John was stunned at her brazen decision to walk out on him. Not keen on having yet another subordinate abandon him, he gave the order for Cecile to stay put. Zeke gladly obliged, and blocked the door while granting the king access to his ability. John made clear that defying him after he rewarded her was a big mistake. Cecile said that she wouldn't have done so if he stopped treating her and everyone who served him like trash. John replied that the likes of them deserved as much.

John departed the Press Room with Conjure: Vines, and immediately sought out Arlo. He eventually found him in Remi's company. After a tense moment, Arlo asked what this confrontation was about. He called John's accusation of another Safe House plot as a falsehood. But after the battlefield ambush, John was unable to accept that any of Arlo's actions didn't have some ulterior motive. He was certain that Arlo wasn't the kind of person who would have any business with Safe House, unless there was power to be gleaned from it. Arlo maintained that his motivations weren't sinister, and stated that he had moved on from fighting for the sake of rankings. John literally couldn't believe what he had heard. How could Arlo incite a costly feud between kings only to put it behind him? John decided to ask him directly, pointing out great personal pain that had yet to fade. In response, Arlo said that John kept taking and taking to the point there was everything that was once important was gone. With nothing left, the only option was to start over. Arlo openly admitted to deserving ruin, but said that John was just as responsible for the mess they were in. His short temper invariably made bad situations even worse, and his hostile and stubborn attitude drove everybody away, even his own best friend. The mention of Seraphina made John recall how she told him the same thing back at Safe House. But staying the course was better than dealing with the guilt welling up inside him. He shouted that high-tiers like them had no business trying to claim the moral high ground, and to stow his criticisms. Arlo had enough of this exchange, and began to walk away. This left John feeling terribly unsatisfied. So he chose to fall back on the one strategy he relied on to do away with all his problems. John conjured some vines and ensnared Arlo, whom he told to stay put.

Arlo demanded to be set free, but Zeke fed John's fears that the two of them were trying to get away with subverting his rule. John doubled-down on his mandate that nobody would leave without his permission, and summoned a plethora of giant thorns. He shot them at Arlo in an attempt to force him into using his Barrier. Arlo did not, but John figured that if he just kept up the assault, even a wary opponent could be pressured into playing into his hands. He then heard the two discussing escape options. Deciding that this wouldn't do, he aimed his next storm of thorns at Remi. She activated her Lightning ability, ran towards him while dodging the projectiles as best she could, and electrocuted him. Though the shock caused him to relase his grip on Arlo, John acquired her ability as well.

While the defiance made him angry, John took advantage of the power-up to see if it was enough to get a Barrier out of Arlo. When Remi absorbed the attack, John held her in place with a new set of vines. Arlo demanded that she be spared, which John of course denied. He unleashed a devastating barrage of electric thorns as a *diversion*, so he could follow up with an attack from the air. John swore that Arlo would give him access to Barrier, and was instantly proven right. The reflective damage he suffered was a minor inconvenience, as was the disappearance of the vines holding Remi. John's foes were trapped, so he used all the power at his disposal to break into the dome.

Remi tried appealing to the desires for peace he once expressed, saying that Safe House could make them a reality if he would only stop waging his insane war and join their efforts. John was unable to take her word for it and screamed that she and her friends still didn't care about fixing the violence. She shouted that he was the one who was actively dedicated to making the abuse worse than before. There was a voice agreeing with everything she said inside of him growing, which he tried to drown out by shouting and fighting even harder. When John finally broke through Arlo's Barrier, he aimed what was going to be his final electric vine attack at the two of them. But when he cast down this deadly rain, he found that Remi and Arlo had vanished. John barely had time to wonder where they had gone when he felt a powerful aura behind him. It was Seraphina, and she told him that the two of them needed to talk.

Everybody realized that the Ace had her original strength returned to her somehow. While Zeke fled like a coward, John accused her of secretly colluding with the Authorities in order to restore her ability so she could take him out at the last second. She barely got a few words of incredulity out before he ordered her to pipe down and move so he could wrap things up with Arlo and Remi. When she said no, he took it as proof that she had been conspiring with the others to get to this point all along. When Arlo and Remi heeded Seraphina's warning to flee, John tried to thwart them with more lightning barbs. But Seraphina used Time Manipulation to shatter each and every thorn he sent their way. Full of rage, John roared that if it was a fight Seraphina was after, she would get one.

He put a Barrier around himself launched enormous electrical vines at her. With blinding speed she got clear of the attack and dealt a massive blow to his Barrier that injured them both. Seraphina shouted that this battle was the *last* thing she ever wanted. All she sought was a heart-to-heart, but John wouldn't take her at her word. He brought up the memory of her turning her back on him despite everything they went through together. Despite him expressing a clear refusal to talk, Seraphina yelled that *he* was the one who actively prevented her, and everybody else, from getting close to him. And because he refused to simply hear others out, the only option left was for her to use force to **make** him listen. John projected long, sharp vines from his protective dome in order to repel her repeated assaults. He then faulted her for taking his enemies' side whilst feigning concern over his well-being. Rather than refute his claims any longer, Seraphina told him that he had been trying to bottle up his problems ever since the day they met. But now that his past finally caught up to him at Wellston, all he could think to do was to give in to his worst impulses. And with nobody willing to fight him anymore, he could only attack until he destroyed himself. The more Seraphina spoke, the harder it became for John to ignore how much he agreed with her. But he tried all the same, for he was terrified of where this train of thought would lead to. Despite great effort, his attacks couldn't touch Seraphina, let alone silence her. She asked him when he'd stop resisting and see that things at school were reforming just like he wanted to. He remembered the Royals that defied his expectations by changing for the better, and wondered why he alone stagnated in his old ways.

Unable to put up with Seraphina grilling him on his contemptuous attitude, John screamed at the top of his voice. He claimed that it didn't matter that things were different now, because the high-tiers didn't deserve it. When Seraphina asked why, John answered that their past actions made them irredeemable monsters. Seraphina asked if John actually saw himself in such a light. The question gave John a panic attack. He tried to drown out the thought by shouting at Seraphina and attacking her, but it was no use. He clearly recognized the high-tier he hated more than anybody else in the world: John Doe. With all of his guilt and self-loathing at the forefront of his mind, John couldn't register his surroundings anymore. He was so fixated on silencing the voices in his head that Seraphina's calm request to drop his barrier and talk went unheard. John eventually grabbed his own head and fell to his knees, and wrapped his barrier in electric vines to try and cut himself off from all sensation.

Even in isolation, John found no solace. An apparition of Keon appeared to remind him how he was a doomed late bloomer before he was made to recall memories of how he terrorizes New Bostin. Then, a particularly vivid memory of him abusing Claire and Adrion began to unfold before him. John was overcome with anger and disgust upon witnessing his past self paying no heed to their pleas for him to stop. The sight of himself boasting of his own impunity was more than John could take. He made the decision to personally intervene, and rushed in and kicked past John away. After "getting ahold of himself", John began pummeling and berating the little monster. His rage turned to horror when a bloody Adrion unexpectedly appeared in his target's place.

John feared that any attempt to exorcise this side of himself would only result in somebody innocent getting hurt. But when New Bostin John suddenly approached him from behind, he felt that he couldn't afford to stop trying anyway. He ordered his dark side to get out of his head, but the tyrannical punk remained where he stood. The cruel smirk on New Bostin John's face provoked the present-day king to use force. But the punch he threw simply phased through his opponent. John resorted to a furious barrage of electric vines, but they had no effect either (on New Bostin John anyway). With no progress made, John despaired over the fact that he might never shake his past.

Suddenly, John felt a sharp internal pain that brought him to his knees. Coughing up blood, he looked at his past self. The reflection he saw had enormous cracks in it, though he didn't put them there. As tiny hole in the center shed light into his dark prison, John thought he had heard a voice shouting that he wasn't the person he used to be. But that couldn't be right. He lost control of himself and hurt a lot of people, all over again. The memory of the failed coup in New Bostin manifested again, and right before John was Claire's unconscious form. The last words his friend spoke echoed in his mind yet again, and his attempts to ignore were futile. But the cries of another friend, who was in the process of demolishing the walls he had put up, were overlapping with one of his worst memories. The moment Claire's utterance of "Monster" ended the flashback, Seraphina managed to break through the reinforced Barrier to get to John.

Now a broken, blubbering mess on the ground, John kept his eyes averted and frantically swore that he never wanted any of this. But rather than land a vengeful finishing blow, Seraphina took him by the wrists and made his teary gaze meet hers. Finally having John's undivided attention, she told him that he was ***not*** a monster. She added that his past mistakes didn't define him as one either. John expressed disbelief in her words, reminding her that during all the time she had known him, he had been ingenuine. Seraphina in turn expressed a heartfelt belief after everything they went through together, their bond *had* to be real. John, accepting that she was telling the truth, broke down crying. The battle ended with Seraphina fainting and falling onto John. Alarmed, he referred to her as "Sera" as he tried to wake her up.

John feared that the fight took to great a toll on Seraphina. He wasn't pleased to see Zeke returning to check up on the aftermath. When his lackey offered to get assistance for Seraphina, John angrily slapped his hand away and ordered him not to lay a finger on her. But the fight left John in the worst shape of all, leaving him powerless to enforce his will. The situation would have gotten dire if not for the arrival of Vaughn and Keene. When John was told to let Keene carry Seraphina to the infirmary, he wordlessly complied. The headmaster then asked if John could walk on his own. John couldn't manage standing up, and continued to cough up blood as well. So Vaughn personally helped walk him over to the infirmary as well. When they arrived, Remi and Arlo were in the middle of receiving healing potions from the doc. They cast dark looks towards him, which he found himself unable to meet. Vaughn gave Darren an order to put his and Seraphina's treatment before the others. Darren defiantly said that he wouldn't be told how to carry out his duties. The headmaster determined that Darren's proclaimed authority had merit, and amended the order to have the two newcomers sent to his office as soon as they were healed.

John was discharged first, but even with his body in peak condition, he felt terrible. Vaughn told him that this incident would not be swept under the rug, and asked what John had to say for himself. John made no attempt to excuse his actions. Instead, he flat out admitted he was fed up with the school, and everyone in it. Vaughn said that it might be best for everybody if John was suspended long enough to sort himself out. John thought this was a good idea, but asked if he could leave that night instead of the next day as Vaughn intended. He wasn't sure if the composure he was maintaining could last another day. His request was honored, and so he packed at once.

Before leaving, he was allowed to visit Seraphina to say goodbye. Keene escorted him to the infirmary, and Darren pointed him towards Seraphina's bed after he promised to make it quick. Unfortunately, Seraphina had not woken up yet. But John still spoke to her. He mentioned that he was going away to put his life back together, but he wasn't sure for how long. What he did know was that he was thankful that she didn't give up on him.

That night, John took an outbound plane from Wellston Airport. En route, he thought back to how Seraphina told him he wasn't a monster. After two and three quarters of an hour of flight time, he touched down back in his old hometown. He disembarked and saw his father waving at him near the arrival gate, but John just didn't have the gusto to wave back.

Having returned to his childhood home, John found himself losing sleep after becoming a victim of his own guilty conscious once more. Lying in bed, he remembered his hellish reeducation, and how Keon told him that he was doomed to fail. The subsequent memory of being called a monster woke him up. Unable to fall back asleep, he thought back to how Seraphina assured him that he wasn't the fraud he thought he was. He felt ashamed that he pushed her away out of fear of rejection when all she was trying to do was to help him. John then wondered if he would ever be worth her time and effort.

After daybreak, John was called down for breakfast by William. It was apparent to his father that John slept rather poorly, which John attributed to having much to mull over. William insisted John eat something before getting some more rest. As they ate, William inquired about what Headmaster Vaughn had spoken to him about John being suspended for disobedience and excessive violence the day before. John responded by saying he knew he'd screw himself over as soon as he activated his ability again. Yet he couldn't help his feelings of contempt driving him to do so. John admitted to hating his own power and the misfortune it's brought him. William asked John if he remembered how excited he was when he first discovered he had an ability. In those days, John's training was a matter of pride. When William asked why he changed so much since then, John went on a diatribe of just how meaningless it was for him to master something he without a shred of self-control. When he described himself as a late-bloomer who was destined to fail, his father asked if he was taught that in his classes. Not seeing any benefit in discussing his experiences with Keon, John lied and said that his track record was proof enough. William tried to assure John that he could avoid becoming a failure by living a responsible life and minding his actions. But John refused to give himself that chance again, and excused himself without finishing his food.

John went out for a walk through town. Many familiar spots from his past brought back memories of the pride he took in his violence. The shame of it all caused him to pull up his hood. His outing led him to shop at U-Mart for snacks. When he went to pay for his items, he and the cashier realized they knew each other. Manning the register was none other than Adrion, who was clearly intimidated by the unexpected return of John.

John remained silently paralyzed, wondering why he encountered a former victim in a supermarket of all places. John just stood there, shivering and short of breath. Hearing Adrion say his name shocked him, and he dropped money before he grabbed his purchases and bolted. John was overcome with regret not long after he set foot outside. He felt that after everything he inflicted on Adrion, he should have tried to talk things over.

So he waited outside the store until Adrion finally emerged. John asked if he could have a word with him. Adrion was nervous as could be, but agreed. The duo each sat on individual benches, and John maintained a long awkward silence. Finally, he asked if Adrion was doing okay enough to neglect schoolwork in order to work. He learned that Adrion and his mother were struggling financially, so Adrion took advantage of being old enough to work by getting a job and putting in as many hours as he was able. John was then asked why he wasn't attending Wellston as was last heard. Adrion scooted away a bit upon hearing the truth. John took notice, and promised that he didn't want to lash out anymore. John admitted that he was a fool for never having appreciated the devotion Adrion gave him back then, and apologized for going off on him all the time. Adrion replied that everything worked out for the best since John had gotten better. (John wasn't so sure about the "better" part.) Adrion asked how long John would remain in New Bostin. He answered that with an indefinite suspension, he'd just have to wait and see. Adrion innocently asked if he wanted any help mending fences with Claire. John was vexed that Adrion of all people would suggest such a thing, since he was the one who tried to tell him about Claire's attempted coup. Adrion revealed that he later learned that Claire went further than anybody did in trying to help John. John was puzzled by this revelation, to say the least. Adrion explained that the vision she shared with Zirian was mostly made up. It was all an elaborate ploy concocted in order to get enough support to stand up to John and make him finally listen to the counsel of his friends and subjects. A feeling of outrage overtook John, and he couldn't contain it. He shot up and angrily asked if the heartfelt belief he based the last two years of his life on was all a lie. Adrion meekly swore that he didn't know until after John was gone. John was about to silence Adrion for pushing such an upsetting story when he caught himself at the last moment. He realized that his temper made Adrion quail in fright. John breathed deeply and hastily excused himself. As he ran back home, he tried rationalizing the reasons that made Claire a false friend, but it was all based on Adrion's redacted report. When he got home, his father told him there were leftovers he could eat. John declined the meal and went straight to his room. He sank to the ground and struggled to make sense of Adrion's past and present claims.

John was still conflicted about the matter several days later. While out for a jog, he tried to convince himself that every memory he was forced to relive daily during his readjustment supported the idea that Claire had always been an enemy. When he got back home from his run, John found his dad trying out a new punching bag. William invited him to give it a go as well. John thought that it would be best to keep his hitting bits to himself for a while, so he passed without explaining his concerns. William decided to ask him about the reason behind the troubled expression he's had on his face all week. Encouraged by his father's assurances on the power of talking things over, John shared the story of what he heard about Claire from his reunion with Adrion at U-Mart. William vouched for Claire as well, and asked why John never brought her up again after his readjustment.

The story of how Claire had been using him from the start confused his father. Frustrated by his father's doubt, John insisted that he had seen it himself over and over again. He was told that the person he described wouldn't have come to their house crying over her inability to help a friend. John didn't remember this story, but his father assured that this wasn't his first time hearing it. John was ashamed to hear about the time he threatened William when he tried to set him on a better path at Claire's behest. He apologized for rudely ignoring his father's counsel back then, and called himself a "little sh\*t". William urged John to stop beating himself up so much, adding that simply recognizing his past mistakes would be apology enough. He echoed Adrion's hopes that John should trying talking the matter over with Claire directly. Still not convinced that the betrayal was a figment of his imagination, John said he'd think about it.

John lay in bed late that night, unable to sleep. Regardless of what both Adrion and William said, he told himself that his vivid memories pointed to Claire being at fault. But there was a tinge of uncertainty within John, which led to him recalling how Seraphina told him to stop vilifying others as a means of dodging responsibility. He braced himself for an unplesant experience he couldn't put off in good conscience.

The next day, John went over to Claire's apartment. He knocked on her door, but nobody answered for a while. Suspecting that Claire was trying to pretend he wasn't there, John called out to her. He heard her ask him why he had come. John demanded to know if Claire truly knew if he was going to be powerful before they met. When she denied it, he asked why she reach out to him. Claire responded that their shared struggle ought to have been reason enough to become friends. Remembering Adrion's rooftop warning, John called her claims into question, but Claire said he'd have to take it or leave it. John insists that he get the truth, only for Claire to ask if the truth he got was not what he hoped to hear. She sarcastically offered to tell him that he was right about how she faked their whole friendship. John got angry for Claire being so difficult, and pressed her to just give him the truth. Claire told him again that she did, but he just refused to accept it. She implored for him to just say what he wanted so he could spare them this repetitive conversation. John shouted that he didn't know, and that he was at a loss as to what and who to believe. Claire asked why *his* problem was any of her concern.

John reasoned that his life wouldn't have gone wrong if she hadn't told him about his ability. Claire retorted that he was blessed with power, and that she couldn't be held responsible for what he used it for. On that point, she asked when John was planning to take credit for ruining everything for everybody instead of blaming it on her just because she guided him part of the way.

John had one last foothold on his recollection of his downfall: the students Claire rallied. He accused her of organizing that group to take him down because she couldn't control him. Claire told him it was ridiculous to rationalize that everybody's actions were based on how much power they gained over those around them. Claire asserted that the group she gathered was only to show him that he was losing his mind. John asked why she simply didn't come to him to talk about it instead of getting their angry schoolmates involved in secret.

Claire huffed that John clearly couldn't bother to remember her many attempts to convince him to handle things peacefully. As a matter of fact, she even went to the staff and spoke to his dad when her own bids to talk him off of the warpath failed painfully. However, despite John's violence, she still rooted for him and believed he could change. Claire denounced that belief she ever had of getting through to John as stupid. John was reminded of a similar frustration Seraphina expressed when she fought him. Claire repeated her wish that she never involved herself with the boy who, even now, refused to curb his hostility and listen to others. With this visit, John realized that there was only one person guilty of decimating his New Bostin kingdom through betrayal and exploitation: himself. Claire yelled for him to go away, for there was nothing left to say. Without another word, John did so.

John walked until he found himself near a playground. He sat down on a bench and took a moment to reflect on all of his poor life choices. He ended up hating himself more than ever for thinking he knew better than those who desperately tried to help him. He buried his face in his hands and didn't move from that spot for hours. Eventually, his dad arrived after looking all over for him. William sat down next to him and pulled him in for a hug. He invited him to share what was on his mind. John asked how he could make amends for everything he had done. William recommended that John stop fretting about the impossibility of changing the past. Instead he should figure out what he wanted to make of himself and plan a means of accomplishing that vision.

It took until the next day to realize that a lot of people he knew (himself included) said that the least somebody in power could do was listen to others. He made a mental note to do just that...right after he knocked out the trigonometry problem staring him in the face. He gave up trying to do the work and decided to turn to the internet for the solution. John's search was cut short when he realized that Seraphina was online. He wondered whether it was too soon to get in touch with her and see how she was faring. He experienced a renewed fear that she wanted nothing to do with him after his despicable actions. To his shock, Seraphina's sudden incoming call proved otherwise. After a moment's hesitation, he answered. Seraphina seemed pretty relaxed for somebody who was forced to trade blows with a friend who betrayed her trust. John on the other hand, was barely able to make awkward small talk.

With memories of all the nasty things he said and did to her guilting him onward, he finally worked up the courage to apologize for treating her so horribly. Seraphina responded that there was nothing to be bitter about since that the John she knew was back. Now that he was fully aware of the encouragement that he had gotten from those close to him, John was compelled to remark how he didn't deserve such good people cheering him on. When he told Seraphina that they'd all be better off denying him any chance at redemption, Seraphina suggested that he ought to give *himself* that chance for once. Like William before her, Seraphina felt that John should stop berating himself for his mistakes and believe in his ability to become the best high-tier he could be. John was incredulous, and asked why he should even try when the slightest provocation could set him off yet again. Seraphina promised that if it came to that, she would get him under control again. Humbled by her faith in him, John thanked her from the bottom of his heart. Now that Seraphina had patched things up between them, John thought to ask her the story of how she got her ability back. His first guess was the Authorities were involved, which she said was wrong. She turned down his request to hear the full story, since she didn't want to share it over a device. Such a reason made no sense to John, but he was willing to respect her desire to wait until they could go over the details in person. Seraphina then got another call, and told John that she had to hang up to answer it. John bid her adieu, and noted that she was under a lot of pressure to take that call. He felt a bit more confident to give reinventing himself another go.

While heading out for work the next day, William reminded John to eat breakfast. So John had himself some toast and milk. He found himself eyeing the new punching bag and wondered if he could work up the courage to practice self-defense. He walked up to the bag, took a fighting stance, and...softly tapped the bag with his fist. John's fighting spirit remained quashed by self-doubt.

John went out for another walk and tried thinking of some other personal goals he could work on. He settled on seeking out the friends he wronged and admitting to them that he shouldn't have turned a deaf ear to their criticism. John went back to Claire's apartment and knocked on the door. He called out to her requesting another chance to speak to her properly after walking away the last time. John became aware of an active ability behind him. He turned around to see Claire, who he almost didn't recognize, had just returned from grocery shopping. He asked if she had just had another vision as he walked towards her. Claire shouted for him to cease his approach. She warned him that she had been keeping everything she foresaw to herself, since bad things happened whenever she shared the future with others. John knew he was to blame for such caution, recalling the unforgettable time they last saw each other face-to-face. Claire asked why he had come back despite her clarifying that she wanted him gone for good. John explained his purpose, and told Claire that she had been right all along. John went over how much he resented himself for not understanding the lengths she went to try and help him back then. He said that he didn't want to be a selfish brute anymore, and promised to improve for everybody's sake. When he got around to asking Claire what he could do to settle things between them, she answered that it was a lost cause. To her, there was nothing he could do to make up for his transgressions other than cut himself out of her life for good. John was disheartened to hear this, but she had more to say.

Claire told him that it was commendable that he was trying to lead a more righteous life, and hoped that he stuck to it. She professed her surprise that somebody as undeserving as him had a compassionate being who was willing to aid him. Claire could only pray that John would treat that angel better than he did her. Confused, John asked who she was talking about. He learned that it was none other than Seraphina, and that she ha reached out to Claire to learn about his history at New Bostin. Despite the sordid story she heard, she still chose to believe in him. Touched by the gesture, John stood frozen until Claire asked him to allow her access to her home. Before going inside, Claire wished John luck on the life he was trying to lead. John was relieved to find closure with Claire, bittersweet though it was.

He then traveled to U-Mart, hoping that he could catch Adrion during his shift and bury the hatchet with him as well. He tentatively stood near the entrance, and was just about to go inside. But then he heard Adrion's distressed voice from around the corner. John followed the sound of apologetic pleading and found Adrion being harassed by two thugs. John kept his distance and watched as Adrion was pressured to give the duo a U-Mart discount as a means of paying off his debt to them. John's first instinct was to avoid getting back into the habits of yesteryear. But when the "BOGO Boys" started getting violent, John was struck with a feeling of obligation towards his oldest friend. He walked over and demanded that the thugs to leave Adrion alone. His arrival made Adrion more nervous, but the ignorant BOGO Boys were amused. John was afraid, but not of the duo who were trying to intimidate him. He strove to maintain a level head, and told the aggressors that Adrion made it clear that he wouldn't be able to deliver. Harassing him was as pointless as trying to squeeze blood from a stone.

The boys were not receptive to reason, and BOGO Blue started to physically harass John. Though the knowing Adrion tried to talk them down, the pair went from shoving John to punching him. John started to slip into a haze of rage, his senses dulled to the world around him. When he looked up to see who was keeping a firm hold of him, he did not see BOGO Blue taunting him. John saw himself, sporting a nasty sneer on his very punchable face. The temptation to cave in skulls was getting too great to resist, and John grabbed the wrist of the loan shark menacing him. His eyes began to glow an ominous golden light. Finally, when BOGO Green went over and began beating Adrion for urging them to stop, John lost it and roared.

With his ability at full force, John beat down Blue and punched Green away from Adrion. As the second one sat dumbstruck on the ground, the first one got back up and lunged at John, convinced he still had a chance of winning. John corrected this grievous error in judgement by picking up Green, throwing him at Blue, and knocking them *both* down with a perfectly-timed kick to Green's torso. John was still too wound up to let it end there, and he stormed over to the defeated loan-sharks. Blue belatedly realized that the time had come to give up and apologize for antagonizing Adrion, and John intended to make him suffer for it. He picked up the sorry bastard and punched him out while raving about how detestable it was to torment the defenseless. With no sense of irony to speak of, John prepared to stomp on the unconscious man. But before his foot came down, he was pulled back by Adrion, who was begging him not taint his victory in such a manner. John remained where he stood, and finally realized that Adrion wore an expression of terror on his face. Seeing that Green was well enough to walk, John told him to grab his associate and scram. With the threat gone, John mustered up his remaining tact and asked Adrion if he was hurt too badly. Thankfully, his injuries weren't that serious, and he thanked John for stepping in.

* Put a smile on your face.
* Make the world a better place.
1/2
Averting his gaze, John replied that it wasn't worth appreciating somebody who lost his temper yet again. Adrion pointed out that John heeded a friend's advice to relent this time around. Such a pedestrian act being treated as a milestone seemed like a sad thing to John. Adrion swore that it was meaningful because it brought back memories of happier times of when John's victories were still considered a cause of celebration. John was astonished to hear that Adrion still considered him worthy of admiration, even after everything he got put through. Adrion suddenly remembered that he still had the rest of his workday ahead of him. John pointed out that he was still pretty banged-up, but cleaning up was a lost cause. Before parting ways, Adrion said that it would be great if they kept in touch during John's suspension. John smiled at the prospect of catching up.

When he got home, John's clear injuries got him a stern lecture from his father about letting fights escalate to the boiling point. As he was being bandaged, John told his father the whole story. William said that it was foolish to try talking things out with cutthroat moneylenders. John asked what other options there were in a situation that didn't call for compromise or bloodshed. William answered that John should consider the middle ground between those two extremes. Use *just* enough of his power to intimidate anybody who sought to trouble him. John argued that using his ability without hurting somebody was impossible for him. But William figured out that this fear came about because John had always allowed others to goad him into a frenzy beforehand. When asked if he could remember when he used his ability to restore peace, John found no examples amongst his memories of vicious assaults. His father warned him that if he couldn't find the courage to try using his ability benevolently, he'd remain stuck in a miserable rut. William then tried to get John to share what he picked up during his readjustment classes. It was still an uncomfortable inquiry, but at his father's insistence, John started by saying that the classes "fixed" a problem child who didn't know his place. When William asked how, the terrifying memories of Keon's harsh instruction left John trembling and tongue-tied. But thanks to the earnest reassurance of his concerned father, John was able to divulge the whole experience and how he was never the same afterwards. As John remarked that it was a change for the better, William threw his arms around his son. A very surprised John was told that what he went through those three months was inhumane. William then looked into his eyes and said that whatever he saw himself as in his past, John should not let the memory into thinking that a life in which he embraced his ability was hopeless. John admitted that his dad was right, and went to his room saying that he'd think long and hard on what they discussed.

John faced another sleepless night. He decided he may as well use his waking hours productively. His dad managed to perfectly describe his behavioral deterioration ever since Seraphina first became the prime target of Wellston's worst. John knew he had to do something about it, and finally made the decision to take the advice of everybody who encouraged his mental recovery in recent days.

Three weeks later, John was certainly looking less worn out than when he arrived. He awoke that morning when his father alerted him to somebody who wanted to video chat with him. The person on the other end of the line was Headmaster Vaughn, who was pleased to see how well he seemed to be doing. After cordially confirming his own improvement, John was told that he had to make a decision regarding his education. Unless he wanted to start the grade over the next school year, he had to return to Wellston in order to get up to speed academically. John chose to take the plunge and answered that he'd like to come back.

John called Seraphina later and told her he would be seeing her on the evening of his return. But the chance almost passed him by. John got a rude awakening from his frantic father on the appointed day. It turned out he read his plane ticket wrong, and that he had a mere hour before his flight to Wellston took off without him. John thankfully made it back on schedule (and even found the time to get a haircut). As he stood in front of the gates of Wellston Private High School, he took stock of the how the build still looked imposing. John was nervous, but the other students who saw him return were even more so. Not that John noticed them. His mind was preoccupied with reuniting with Seraphina. She didn't attend the classes they shared, much to his disappointment. John believed he might encounter her on the roof. But on his way there, he passed the infirmary. He decided he may as well pay Doctor Darren a social call. But when John entered, he found a stranger in a lab coat in Doc's place. Before he could explain himself, a student carrying an old victim of his were ushered in by Remi. As the injured boy was prepped for treatment, Remi took notice of John and glanced rather coldly at him. John remained lost in the moment until the new nurse asked him if he still needed to stick around. John promptly excused himself. As he was climbing the stairs following that awkward encounter, John realized he regretted not being able to give his best regards to Darren before he left his post. John had nearly reached the rooftop when he crossed paths with a descending Arlo. There was a brief standoff in which the two silently stared at one another. But John broke the tension by telling Arlo that he just wanted to see Seraphina. Without saying a word, Arlo gestured towards the rooftop before going on his way. Being able to meet face-to-face with his most bitter enemy without going ballistic made John sigh in relief.

When he made it to the rooftop door and opened it, John finally saw her. Seraphina stood facing the courtyard, and assumed that Arlo had come to bother her again. John spoke up, and she turned around and was surprised to see John this soon. After a brief explanation of how misreading "AM" as "PM" got him dragged out of bed, John saw Seraphina crack an amused smile. He wondered if his story was really that funny. She warmly put her hand on his arm and told him just how relieved she was to see him in a carefree mood again. John smiled right back and credited it all to her. The moment was marred when John's stomach beckoned with a loud groan. Seeing that he hadn't had a bite to eat since his return, Seraphina invited John to have lunch with her at the cafeteria. He accepted, and was grateful that things were finally going to go back to the way they were.

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 156
2. ↑ Chapter 157
3. ↑ Chapter 158
4. ↑ Chapter 159
5. ↑ Chapter 160
6. ↑ Chapter 161
7. ↑ Chapter 162
8. ↑ Chapter 165
9. ↑ Chapter 167
10. ↑ Chapter 172
11. ↑ Chapter 173
12. ↑ Chapter 174
13. ↑ Chapter 178
14. ↑ Chapter 179
15. ↑ Chapter 187
16. ↑ Chapter 188
17. ↑ Chapter 189
18. ↑ Chapter 190
19. ↑ Chapter 192
20. ↑ Chapter 193
21. ↑ Chapter 200
22. ↑ Chapter 204
23. ↑ Chapter 206
24. ↑ Chapter 207
25. ↑ Chapter 208
26. ↑ Chapter 209
27. ↑ Chapter 210
28. ↑ Chapter 211
29. ↑ Chapter 212
30. ↑ Chapter 220
31. ↑ Chapter 221
32. ↑ Chapter 222
33. ↑ Chapter 223
34. ↑ Chapter 224
35. ↑ Chapter 225
36. ↑ Chapter 226
37. ↑ Chapter 227
38. ↑ Chapter 228
39. ↑ Chapter 229
40. ↑ Chapter 230
41. ↑ Chapter 231
42. ↑ Chapter 232
43. ↑ Chapter 233
44. ↑ Chapter 234