Claire and Sera continue their conversation over zoom.
Claire to Sera: I had another vision of John, this time he was using multiple abilities, not just one. On top of that he was using them with more power than the original user. It was terrifying, I never felt more fear about something in my life. Something this powerful with someone who is so reckless. After a while I stopped telling John about my visions. It didn't make a difference though, it was too late.
John and Claire are walking together in the park.
John: Hey Claire, guess what, I saw everyone's aura during turf wars while they were all fighting, I didn't even need to use my ability or focus on anyone. Hey, hello?
John snaps his fingers, trying to get Claire's attention.
John: Hey you better be listening.
Claire shakes out of her zoning out.
Claire: Uh yeah, right.
John: So, anyway I was thinking, if I can sense more than one ability, then I might be able to use more than one too.
Claire: Hmm, could be right.
Claire to Sera: He was so far gone I couldn't stop him, power hungry, thirsty for more every day. Then one day it happened, he took me and Roland to turf wars.
John: I want you to come watch me at turf wars, I picked up some new tricks. I want you to see them all!
Claire: Um, isn't that for royals only?
Roland: Yeah, that's against the rules.
Brian: Oh come on, what rules, no point in following them if they're not meant to be broken. I'm the KING of New Bostin, of this town. I'll do whatever the hell I want.
Claire to Sera: We thought it would be cool to witness a Turf War match, but it was just a ploy. When we got there he wouldn't stop beating his opponents to the ground.
John beats his opponents with their own abilities, he is left with a kid who can use electricity. (no it's not lightning like Remi). He punches the kid square in the jaw and throws him up in the air, only to slam him back down to the ground.
Kid: Have mercy, please!
John laughs as his golden eyes glow brighter by the second.
John: There is no mercy.
John shocks the kid with powerful volts of electricity into the victim.
Claire to Sera: Pretty soon, he could use two abilities, then three, then four. After that he used Adrion's too along with the entire royal team. It was so painful to watch. I tried everything to stop him, only to be met with a shove back.
Claire: John, I told you already, I don't like it when you take things to a whole nother level!
John: I think you're overreacting.
Claire goes up to John and hugs him tightly.
Claire: Please, would you do it for me?
John sighs.
John: Fine, I'll guess I'll try to go easy on them.
Claire: Yaaaay! Thanks!
John: Even though they don't deserve it.
She pecks him on the cheek and walks away with her hands behind her back.
Claire: Come on, let's get a drink.
John: Ugh, fine.
Claire to Sera: I wanted to be able to root for him again, without all the guilt and pain from him bloodying his opponent up. I wanted to celebrate with him again. I wanted to believe him again.
John beats his opponents to the ground as Adrion and Claire watch, Adrion rushes over to stop John as he looks over and smiles. The sinister smile turns into a frown as Adrion pushes John off the bloodied up student.
Adrion: John stop!
John: Did you just push me?
Adrion: I uh,....
John: Don't you dare, WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!
Adrion: This needs to stop, you always take it too far, I get beating up people in your own class, but these people don't even know you. Let's just call it a day, you already won.
John: Shut the hell up!
John punches Adrion and knocks him down.
Claire: NO, stop it!
Claire interviens but finds a face full of fist as well.
Claire: You, hit me!
John: .....
John immediately regrets it, but too much of a coward to admit he's wrong.
Claire: Let's get out of here Adrion.
Adrion and Claire leave John.
John: Yeah that's right, just leave!
Claire stops and turns around.
Claire: Why do you have to keep hitting people when they're already down?
John: BECAUSE THEY HIT ME WHEN I WAS DOWN!
Claire: Not like this, if they were hitting you then what you're doing to them is a hundred times worse!
Claire to Sera: That's when I knew that nothing I would say to him would go through. He was so absorbed with his strength. Following that incident I started to avoid him.
Pretty soon though, he found a replacement, a redhead named Wendi. She took over as his "whatever I was''. I tried to not let it bother me but to break up with me without even telling me? Anyways as time went on the school's situation only got worse. Everyone was terrified of John. People would walk around hunched over when they walked by him. If you even as much as gave him the wrong vibe, he'd try to kill you right then and there. The staff couldn't even control him, he would often fight back. Our principal refused to do anything about him though, which made some of the staff quit. This was because John was bringing so much attention to New Bostin. He was the number one in the region. No one could touch him.
Sera takes a moment to recall back to when she was just a child.
Sera in her head: Holy shit, that's who my parents would refer to!
It was him!
Sera's mother: Sera, you have to work harder now more than ever. Never stop until you are number one, even then you must work to maintain your throne, last I heard someone in New Bostin could potentially out do you.
Claire to Sera: Despite making it clear I wasn't with John anymore, my reputation still stuck with him. Everyone looked down on me, I didn't blame them though, if it weren't because of my stupid visions, John wouldn't have became the monster he is today.
Sera: Well, I wouldn't say he still is that same person.
Claire: Huh?
Sera: Well, I don't know actually if I should tell you this.
Claire: Hmm, well don't tell me anything you're not comfortable with.
Sera in her head: It should be obvious, his powers will spell everything out. Yet I can't help but doubt Claire will catch on.
Sera: Have you ever heard of....
The Golden God?
Claire: Yeah actually, He helped me forget about people like John, I bet he could beat him in a fight. He specializes in power hungry, wait why are you bringing him up so sudden-
Sera: ....
Claire freezes as she puts the puzzle together.
Claire in her head: What, no way. John isn't caring at all. How would he even get all the stuff he has....
At that moment Claire visions John's powers, she then sees The Golden God's.
Claire: They're exactly alike.
Claire: Well, that's good to hear, maybe there is hope of reaching into him after all.
Sera: Then what happened?
Claire: Well, I had another vision, I led the class to take John on, we were gonna talk things out first, but the class got irrational and attacked first, I even convinced Zarian to join us. He got it the worst. It drove him mad and well.
Sera: Yeah, I know.
I heard
Claire to Zarian: I wanted control more than anything else, I knew how strong he would become. So I took advantage while I could.
Zarian: So that's the kind of person you are? I thought all this time you two were actually friends. Turns out you were just using him, the moment you found a better option you'd just stab him in the back. Your fucking disgusting. No wonder you two made a good team. Both of you are power hungry snakes.
Claire: Zarian please, work with me. Together we can take back New Bostin.
Zarian: You're the worst kind of person, I swear if John was actually a good king, I wouldn't even associate myself with you. I'll need some time, guess we'll be in touch.
Claire to Sera: The rest is history, John beat us all half to death.
As Claire uttered those words she imagined the entire battle in her head. Just how one sided it truly was.
John: Hmph, did you really think rallying a bunch of people against me would help? I thought you had more foresight than that? After all, you knew I would become king long before we met, isn't that why you helped me? Well congratufuckinglations, I played right in your hands, and now your responsible for all the parents who will age without a fucking kid.
Claire: Shut up, you're the one who beat them all up! You've abused the shit out of this school! You took the power you were given and abused it! You're a tyrant!
John hits Claire
John: WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!
Claire: I thought I meant more to you? Who was I huh, just some lap dog. You used me for my foresight.
John slaps Claire and pushes her to the ground.
Claire: Screw you, you did this to yourself! Take a good look at what you have become, whatever happened to treating everyone with respect despite their ability. Or was that just because you didn't have one! I wish I never saw you the first day we met, I wish you never went to school here, I WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN! I HATE YOU JOHN DOE!
You're a monster!
John: SHUT THE FUCK UP CLAIRE!
Claire starts to tear up a little.
Claire to Sera: They severely underestimated him. He almost killed everyone, when the dust settled, it was just him and me. You know what he asked me?
Claire sighs as she starts to shed some tears.
Claire to Sera: He asked me, "Why did you turn everyone against me?". Ridiculous. You did that to yourself.
After that I was knocked out. I was told that Adrion called the authorities.
From there John was taken into correction classes and well.....
Claire starts to cry a little more.
Claire: But what stuck with me the most is how he kept thinking of himself as the victim. How he never felt any remorse for his actions. How much that power changed him. I just, no matter how mad I was at him, I wish I never said those things to him, he wasn't the same person after that. I miss him a little.
Sera in her head: Jeez, that definitely sounds like another person, all though I'm not shocked that once upon a time this was John.
Claire: Hehe, look at me, I'm bawling like a baby, stop it tears!
Sera: Hey, you don't need to feel bad for what happened anymore. He's really changed.
Claire: What are you talking about?
Sera: Well, he enrolled as a cripple in Wellston, did his best to not use his powers at all. Only when he had to, he used them to help me run this school a little.
Claire wipes her eyes.
Claire: Wait, really?
Sera: Yeah, I think his experience back in New Bostin along with your words went through his head.
Claire: Ahh well, that's good to hear. Sadly though you still had to call me. So that means something must be going wrong over there that you can't control.
Sera in her head: Damn, she's right, I tried to avoid this, but I might have to tell her about my ability compromising.
Sera: Well, you see, there is this thing at Wellston, where some students had enough of the system, and are following the lead of this high tier that we don't know about.
Claire: An unknown High tier?
Sera in her head: Can't tell her the whole truth, cause it might put John in jeopardy, on top of that she won't believe it.
Sera: Yeah, he wears a mask and runs around beating students up, and well, he kinda dethroned the whole Hierarchy.
Claire: Jeez, and is this student John?
Sera in her head: Well, technically...
Sera: Actually no, but he isn't helping, he's been hurting others and climbing the rank as well to try and scare this guy.
Claire: Oh my, so they're gonna clash at some point.
Sera: I don't know anymore, most likely. I'm just scared at what they'll do to each other. But more importantly what will happen to John.
Claire: Sera, I want you to forget what you know about John. Right now he's not himself, he's in a dangerous mental state, he doesn't care who you are, what you're capable of, or what you mean to him. Right now he's lethal and dangerous.
Sera: Well, is there any way to keep him under wraps?
Claire: Huh? Why do you ask?
Sera: I need to somehow control John, get him to use his power to run Wellston in my absence.
Claire: Why, can't you do it yourself?
Sera: Well, my ability is compromised.
Claire: Is that even possible?
Sera: I'll tell you some other time.
Claire: The only way to try to get to John, is to try and prevent him from doing what he's about to do, show him how to be a royal.
Sera: I don't know how.
Claire: Well, what are you to him, be honest, acquaintance, friend, best friend, maybe even, well you know...
Sera blushes.
Claire: Ahh, I see. That shouldn't be a problem for you then, hopefully. Well, give me a call when you're powered back up, we should talk some other time.
Sera smiles
Sera: Sure will.
Thanks Claire.
Meanwhile John is in his room looking on his computer at some files that Keon sent him about the group that took over New Oklahoma city. He sighs at the computer screen before he closes the laptop.
John: Not now, I gotta fix Wellston first.
Flashbacks of New Bostin flood his mind. The horrors of what he did continue to fill the empty space that is his cerebrum.
John: Never again.
He sees Sera on the ground, Joker standing over her. Pounding his chest and roaring as he defeats Seraphina, the fallen goddess. A sudden knock at the door startles him into reality.
John: Uh, give me a second Blyke!
Sera: It's me.
John's heart freezes. He didn't know why, but it was like something bad was gonna come out of their next interaction. John lets her in despite his gut feeling.
John: Oh uh,hey.
Sera: Hey John, you mind if we talk?
John starts to panic a little.
John: Uh, yeah s-s-sure.
The two head to John's bed, Sera stands over John while he sits on his bed.
John: Uhhh, you're not gonna take a seat?
Sera: John, you need to stop acting reckless and start acting like a high tier.
John pauses, his eyes grow narrow.
John: Ohh, I see, Arlo sent you?
Sera: What, no! Can't you see, you're starting to beat students into submission, now more than ever they're sick of high tiers now.
John: Don't blame me for Arlo being such a pain in the ass, if he wants to talk to me tell him to do it himself.
Sera: John-
John: NO, you listen for a sec. I tried so hard to stay out of everyone's way, to protect the weak and see justice through. To stop the villains and be the hero, but all everyone wants to do is let power corrupt them. People love the hero, but more than that they wanna see them fall, fail, die trying. I thought I was doing the right thing. By showing the oppressors what it's like to be oppressed. A little uno reverse to show the bad guys what it's like. I guess I was wrong.
John remembers a conversation he had with his Father the day he was sent off to correction classes.
William: John, remember, Power leads to corruption, and absolute power leads to absolute corruption.
John: Dad?
William: Trust me, this is for you John, to help you.
John: Whatever dad.
John slams the door and starts to tear up.
John in his head: Those were my last words to you, dad....
Sera watches John fall to the ground and start to tear up in front of Sera.
I'm so sorry.
Dad.
To be Continued...