Keene

**Keene** is the Head of Security of Wellston. He is friends with Darren.

## Appearance

Keene has fair skin, parted beige hair, blue eyes, and wears black, circular spectacles. When he uses his ability, his eyes shine white.

## Personality

As the head of security of Wellston, Keene's main concern is to keep the school and its students safe; he worries when there are potential dangers to the school. He is not above making bets with other staff members, however. He is usually calm, and even amicable to his colleagues, particularly Darren. In spite of being a high tier, Keene seems to be a pacifist, preferring to settle disputes without violence. He is respectful to his superiors, particularly Vaughn, and seems to be the principal's right-hand-man.

## Plot

### Beginning

He was first mentioned when Doctor Darren threatened to send Blyke and Isen to Keene after the duo caused a racket with their fighting.

### Suspension

When news of Seraphina getting suspended spread around the school, Keene and Darren made a bet to see how long John would last. Keene lost the bet to the Doctor, owing him fifty dollars.

### True Colours

Headmaster Vaughn summoned Keene to his office to discuss EMBER and Seraphina's recent suspension. He then mentioned Rei, the former King who graduated three years ago, and revealed that he was killed by EMBER, much to Keene's shock and dismay. He also said that Rei managed to get a copy of *Unordinary* and there had been two cases related to high-tiers and Unordinary in Wellston already.

Headmaster Vaughn mentioned that because Wellston had the highest concentration of high-tiers in the area, he wanted Keene to increase security measures by monitoring anyone who enters the school and flushing out any potential spies.

### Aftermath

One day, Keene ranted about his investigation to Darren. The two staff members got into a discussion regarding Leilah, the doc's latest girlfriend. Darren said that she was "a project manager," "really smart," "a high-tier," and "super hot." Darren also told Keene that he was going on a date with her that same week.

However, the conversation was cut short when an injured Arlo walked in to get himself healed. While Darren was preparing a tonic for Arlo, Keene asked Arlo who attacked him, but the latter did not answer the question. After the Doctor sent Arlo off with a slow-working tonic, the two staff members wondered who could have injured the King that badly. Keene suggested that John was the culprit, and while Darren initially disagreed, he realized that John had been acting irritable as of late. Darren then suggested to Keene that they should report what they witnessed to Headmaster Vaughn.

Darren's aforementioned date with his girlfriend got canceled as she got a call from her employer and was sent away for two weeks. He spoke about this with Keene. Keene poked fun at him for this, jesting that the girlfriend wanted to break up with Darren "already".

### Rage

Keene was tasked by Vaughn to help with John's relocation. While aiding John during his move, the two encountered Zeke, who "promised" to take good care of John. The Head of Security also introduced Blyke as John's new roommate, much to the displeasure of both students, and forced the two students to shake hands with his ability.

### Secrets

One day while hanging out in the infirmary, Keene detected somebody entering the school grounds through his ability. Darren noticed his reaction and asked if they ought to be concerned. While that was uncertain, Keene stated that they were dealing with strong visitors. He went out to exchange greetings with their visitors. Keene met with their two visitors out front, and asked what business they had at Wellston. He got acquainted with Keon and Nadia, and realized they were the representatives from the Authorities who had an appointment with Vaughn. Since everything was in order, Keene led them to the headmaster's office.

### Joker

There had been an uproar regarding Seraphina's prolonged absence from the school grounds. John's involvement in the search for her resulted in several students needing medical care. Not long after the incident did John don the same mask he wore during the time in order to anonymously lay waste to the school's Royals. The headmaster ordered all the staff not to obstruct John's mission.

Meanwhile, Darren's latest date with Leilah hit a snafu. He shared the details with Keene the following day. Leilah fell out of her romantic mood after she was asked to help with Seraphina's ability-loss. Keene listened as the poor doctor kicked himself for ruining his love life with workplace gripes. Keene found himself being asked for romantic advice, which he could not provide as a bachelor. The discussion was cut short when an injured student walked into the infirmary in need of Darren's skills. Keene smiled as he urged the doctor to do his duty.

### Fallout

John eventually fulfilled his personal mission to defeat the Royals in a spectacularly brutal fashion. Sending two of them to the hospital merited a trip to the headmaster's office. Keene stood by as Vaughn warned John that such behavior would not be tolerated in the future. The meeting ended with John totally apathetic about the whole affair.

When they were alone again, Keene voiced personal reservations regarding Vaughn's recent decisions about letting John run about unchecked. He reminded the headmaster that a late-bloomer like John had different worldviews than natural high-tiers like themselves. Vaughn replied that it was that very reason John was so important to Wellston. Keene then tried another approach in the hopes of getting Vaughn to take this matter more seriously: these bloodbaths were sure to attract the attention of the Authorities. Unfazed by the looming threat posed by the government, Vaughn chose to wait for them to take him on.

### Safe House

One day, Keene was enjoying an apple in his own office for a change when he got a visit from Blyke and Remi. They expressed a desire to create a club called "Safe House", so that innocent students who wanted to be left unharmed would have someplace to go. Keene approved the idea, and allotted them the use of Room 224. That same day, John unexpectedly abandoned all pretenses of being weak and revealed himself as the strongest student in the school.

### Tyrants

The renewed anarchy that came with the new king led to another meeting between Keene and the headmaster. The security chief flat-out admitted that he was unable to grasp what is was that Vaughn was hoping to accomplish. Keene cited that John personally sent three more students to the hospital following his last confrontation with the Royals. Before that, numerous students took advantage of the anonymity that the Joker identity provided in order to settle scores. With no help available from the staff, the students were forced to start a club in a desperate attempt to mitigate the situation. Keene asked whether they should stop being lenient and forcibly stop John from inciting more conflict. Vaughn maintained a frustrating silence whilst sipping tea. When he finally spoke up, he informed Keene that he had partially answered his own question. Students themselves had started to find solutions to such problems instead of causing them. And John had played a vital role in helping them realize that potential. John's uncommon background as a late-bloomer granted him a perspective nobody else had. Being able to channel the hatred and resentment that festered within him over the years made those around him see that they brought this menace on themselves. As bad as it was getting in Wellston, Vaughn insisted that the students must not be deprived of this revelation.

Keene relayed this response to Darren later. The nurse disagreed with Vaughn's big plan, seeing it as a madman's vision. Keene tried to assure him that the headmaster knew what he was doing. Darren countered that his increasing workload proved Vaughn's methods left much to be desired. Darren then admitted to never having felt comfortable about such a secretive headmaster. Keene, agreeing that the man was unorthodox, would not say if he truly trusted Vaughn.

As they feared, things only got worse with John, who chose to wage war against Safe House. Keene accompanied Vaughn to put an end to a direct attack on the club itself. They were too late to prevent injury, but Vaughn used his ability to force John to stand down when he didn't do so willingly. Blyke suffered serious wounds defending the other students from the King's wrath, so Keene was told to take him to the infirmary for treatment. As he carried off the poor kid, Keene noticed some brown glass shards. It was a broken container and its freshly-spilled contents. As soon as Blyke was in Darren's care, Keene returned to the scene and gathered this peculiar find.

Keene brought the bagged evidence for Vaughn to see, but first there was the matter of John. An unhappy Vaughn admitted that John's most recent actions left him disappointed, and recounted how much promise he showed during his enrollment interview. Since the boy showed no interest in helping others make progress, then the headmaster felt it was finally time that another student be chosen to lead the others to a better future. But he decided that could wait until after Keene stated the purpose of his visit. Keene showed him the broken vial and explained that it held some unknown substance. Keene shared his theory that Blyke had brought it to school, and suggested that the headmaster speak with him about it. In agreement, Vaughn instructed to be informed as soon as Blyke was well enough to answer questions.

### Square One

Keene was present for Blyke's disciplinary review. The boy had brought with him an intact vial of the substance, and revealed that it was a dose of Ability Amplifier. Blyke swore that it was the last remaining quantity he obtained while moonlighting as a vigilante. Vaughn once more spoke out against reckless altruism. Blyke bowed his head and apologized for what he had repeatedly done, and swore that he was past that phase. Vaughn asked Blyke if his identity was revealed to anybody out in the low-tier districts he went to. Blyke hesitated a bit before admitting that recorded footage of him wound up on televised news. He expressed confidence that strangers wouldn't figure out who he was from his disguise, not to mention the low quality of the recording itself. The headmaster disagreed that these alone would ensure his anonimity. The terribly ashamed Blyke expressed clear regret. Vaughn, acknowledging Blyke's full disclosure, nonetheless had to penalize Blyke in accordance with his duties as headmaster. Blyke was willing to accept whatever he had coming to him, but asked Vaughn to honor a single request. The curious headmaster was willing to hear him out. Blyke said that Remi might have trouble trying to get everything at Safe House back in order without his help. So he asked if it was possible to have his punishment witheld until the damage that was done got fixed. Vaughn remarked that Safe House must be very important to him. Blyke confirmed that notion, wishing that the club had been thought up sooner. Vaughn was pleased with Blyke's noble intentions, and granted his request. Elated beyond measure, Blyke thanked the headmaster and set off happier than he had been in a while.

But Keene didn't share the sentiment. Both he and Vaughn knew that the Authorities were certain to come seeking Blyke. Vaughn went so far as to say that the school would eventually be seen as synonymous with vigilantism. Keene asked what the headmaster's next course of action would be. Vaughn stated that his prmary concern was making sure that Blyke's promising development was unobstructed bt the Authorities. A difficult endeavor, given the young man's television appearance. Then again, the ability amplifier was also cause for concern. Vaughn sought Darren's pharmecutical expertise on the matter, so he had Keene deliver the vial to him along with instructions to examine its contents. Darren was less than flattered to be appointed as the man for the job, especially considering he wouldn't get paid extra for it. Keene recalled that the school nurse would have jumped at the chance to undertake such a project back in his university days. Darren stressed that there wasn't much he could glean from the drug without proper lab equipment. Keene began to instruct Darren on filling out the proper paperwork to overcome that obstacle, only to be told off for missing the point. Darren wished that the headmaster would stop wasting everybody's time on matters that didn't involve getting the school back in running order. Keene simply left the vial for the nurse to deal with, since wishes aren't fishes.

Later on, John started a fight with Arlo and Remi despite Vaughn's warning. And when the headmaster went over to clean up the mess, Keene accompanied him once more. When they arrived, the fight was over, thanks to the unexpected intervention of Seraphina. (Zeke was also there, but he wasn't important enough for them to bother with.) The headmaster coaxed John into leaving Seraphina's escort to the infirmary in Keene's capable hands. As the chief of security took care of her, Vaughn did the same for John. When they arrived, Darren was plenty busy healing the other combatants. Keene's cordial greeting and winning smile did nothing to take the sting out of the nurse's increased workload. Vaughn ordered that the newcomers' treatment be made top priority, but Darren was having none of it. There was a tense standoff, but Vaughn ultimately agreed to Darren's insistence that he would run the infirmary as he saw fit. So the order was changed to have John and Seraphina be sent to the headmaster's office upon being discharged.

John was the only one who recovered that day, and his trip to the Vaughn's office concluded with an immediate suspension. The headmaster allowed him one last visit to Seraphina, so Keene escorted John back to the infirmary. As John gave his parting words, Keene filled a curious Darren in on the circumstances.

## Powers & Abilities

* Keene's security net
* Keene freeze them together?
* Keene easily lifts Blyke.
1/3
***Security Nets:*** While his ability has yet to be revealed, he is confirmed to be a high-tier.  When Keon passed through the invisible netted barrier, Keene was alerted despite his ability being inactive at the time. He was also able to detect the strength of Keon's ability. He also shows enhanced physical strength.

## Gallery

Keene gets threatened by the gentle Doctor.
## Quotes

* (Thinking about Rei's murder)"*Just what kind of powerful backing does EMBER have?*"
* (To Doctor Darren) "You know what they say, 'an apple a day keeps the doctors away'"

## Notes & Trivia

* He was first mentioned by Doctor Darren in Chapter 6.
* Keene mentioned that he and Headmaster Vaughn are high-tiers.
* The name "Keene" can either mean proud/brave or ancient and legendary.
	+ It also can refer to *keen* eyesight

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Chapter 90
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Chapter 41
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chapter 29
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chapter 6
5. ↑ Chapter 59
6. ↑ Chapter 67
7. ↑ Chapter 78
8. ↑ Chapter 142
9. ↑ Chapter 156
10. ↑ Chapter 186
11. ↑ Chapter 187
12. ↑ Chapter 200
13. ↑ Chapter 212
14. ↑ Chapter 218
15. ↑ Chapter 225