Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

As John walked through the airport with Zander following close behind, only one thing crossed his mind. One question that even John, who had experienced everything that had happened in the past week firsthand, couldn’t answer. 

He just couldn’t figure out how he ended up here? How did he end up in Wellston, walking towards a lady he didn’t know, with only a suitcase to his name?

Despite that, if someone asked him, he could tell them how he got there. He could tell them that after the interrogation, they told him to pack a suitcase and fast. Then he could explain that he had to stay with Zander for a week before being dragged on a plane. A few hours later and here he was, walking with the same authority figure that knocked on his door on that fateful night. So yes he knew the path he was forced to take to get to the airport.

Still, it didn’t help John figure out where everything went wrong. He couldn’t wrap his brain around how the tracks had led to this moment. Was it when his dad created unordinary? Could it have been when he beat up half his class? Maybe it was when he developed his ability? Was it so far back as when John was born? He didn’t know and it was bothering him.

In truth, there were a lot of things bothering John. Things that didn’t involve answering a stupid question that didn’t matter in the long run. Things that just radiated the same energy as the stupid knocking on a certain front door at one in the morning. Things that wouldn’t stop or slow down or speed up. Things that made the teen want to pull his hair out.

And if he was being completely honest, most of what John felt was rage. He was mad. Angry. John was ready to punch someone into a wall and Zander pouring sweet words down his throat was not going to make that feeling go away.

Speaking of Zander, that dude would not shut up. All week, the man had chatted his ear off constantly. It made sense when John thought about it. He was able to knock on a stranger's door for over 30 minutes without stopping, talking someone’s ear off must be child’s play.

That was actually what the blue-haired man was currently doing. John looked over to where the older man was gesturing with his arms. “-nd that is why I think pineapple on pizza is stupid.” John heard a heavy sigh as he continued his pointless rant. “It’s just so frustrating to have to watch people eat that garbage.” Zander whipped his head towards the teen. “You agree with me right?”

Truly he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Out of all the officials he could have been stuck with, it had to be the chatterbox. “Sure.”

“Finally! Someone agrees with me.” He made another grand gesture and then looked back over only to spot something. “Ah, there she is.”

John quickly followed his gaze and saw a tall blonde woman standing next to the exit. He didn’t recognize her, but from the way she was standing, he assumed she was some type of authority figure. Hopefully, though, she was only an escort and not his new guardian.

He spoke too soon.

When the pair finally reached the lady, Zander shook her hand and then introduced her. “John, this is Valerie, Your new guardian.”

Maybe she wasn’t an authority figure then?

“Hello John, as Zander said I am Valerie. I am a high-ranking official with the authorities.” She smiled and held out her hand.

Fuck .

He slowly shook her hand. “Hi, I’m John.” A fuck up. He had to hold back a glare, not wanting to offend his new guardian. 

She let go of the handshake and spoke, “Well it’s nice to meet you.” Her voice was firm yet not unkind. “Now let’s get out of this airport so you can start getting settled in.”

She waited for a response, but John stayed silent.

Zander, however, “That sounds like a plan. And if you wouldn’t mind Valerie, could you drop me off at the office. I have to do some work before heading to my hotel.” 

His new guardian nodded while turning towards the exit. “Of course Zander. I know the higher-ups expect a lot from you new ones.”

Ah so that’s why Zander wouldn’t shut up, he hasn’t been trained for that yet. John followed Valerie out to the car with Zander following behind him.

-

The entire car ride just radiated awkward tension. John was still pissed but chose not to yell at two adults that are part of his worst nightmare. Zander couldn’t read the room or well car and just started chatting about more stupid things and Valerie was just playing along. Both would try to bring John into the conversation, but he just either ignored them or replied with only a single word.

The ravenette just couldn’t get over his unending rage. Here are two idiots having a decent chat knowing that they had just ruined his life, and it seemed like they couldn’t give less of a shit. It was pissing John off. If only he could just jump out of the car. He couldn’t though. He couldn’t die without seeing his dad again. (They also turned the child locks on. How unfortunate.) 

So John played annoyed, it was the closest thing to anger without the effect of making his new parent mad. The last thing he needed was to get sent back to the readjustment facility. It didn’t help that the lady was a high-ranking official. If he fucked up, that option was probably just a phone call away.

He just had to play nice. He had to survive. It would be fine. Fine. Totally fine.

“-ey, John? Any opinions?” 

Someone was talking. “Huh?”

It was Zander. Of course, it was. “Do you think socks have sizes? I don’t think so. It’s basically just one size fits all.”

“Don’t be an idiot, Zander.” And there was Valerie “They do have sizing even if only vague. Now we are almost to the office, so please try to get these idiotic arguments out of your head and think about bigger issues.” Valerie spoke with an almost motherly voice. Like she was scolding a child.

He heard a sigh and then Zander spoke up again. “Yeah yeah, you're right. Still, you guys needed something to fill that unbearable silence.” He didn’t speak up after that.

And in John’s personal opinion, the silence was fine. It was much better than hearing about all of Zander’s dumb-as-hell thoughts. 

Eventually, after dropping off the now-silent Zander, the pair made their way home in blissful silence. 

___________________________________

Valerie's home was best described as a basic one-story suburban home. It wasn’t really what John had expected, he kind of just assumed all pompous high-tiers had expensive mansions, but it was still nice. A much better place than his dad’s apartment. 

Still, the cozy house hit way too close to home, and John was left with an unending want for his dad. He really missed the guy. 

He glanced over at Valerie who was getting his suitcase out of the car. She seemed to lift it with ease like the 40-pound bag had weighed nothing. After putting it on the ground she looked back at John and smiled.

“So John, where's the rest of your stuff?” She started to walk to the door, pulling his suitcase behind her.

“They only let me pack one bag, nothing else.” Why she wasn’t already aware of that, John didn’t know.

She hummed and then went to unlock the door. “That's unfortunate. I guess it makes sense though. They probably didn’t want any remaining influence from your father to remain.” She opened the door as John fumed behind her.

They wanted to cut dad’s influence. Why? John couldn’t figure out what his dad had done that was so wrong. Still, he couldn’t break down now, so John played it cool and followed his new guardian inside.

The whole place was nice but very clean. It was almost too clean, like all of life had been sucked out of it. There was nothing to prove that someone regularly lived here. There were no shoes next to the door, no plants or decorations out of place. There wasn't that feeling that someone had lived here. There was no feeling of how things worked, it was just empty.

Valerie snapped him out of his thoughts as she told him she was going to give him a tour and then share the house rules. She first led him to his new room, which was decently sized with a queen bed on the back of one of the walls. It had a desk and a bookcase on one wall with two doors on another. Overall it was a nice room, much bigger than the one he had at the apartment. Still, it just didn’t feel like home.

“Hopefully you can gather some decor to make it homier for you, but for now this should do.” Valerie's voice echoed behind him as she then proceeded to lead him through the rest of her house.

It was only one story with an office, kitchen, two more bedrooms, and an open living room. He was forbidden from entering her room and office without knocking and he was expected to keep clean. Both he could easily do. She then led him back to the living room and asked him to sit. She proceeded to sit opposite him.

“So John, before we go over all of the rules, I want to ask how you are doing with all of the changes. I know it can be hard-” She started to speak with that motherly tone that she had early and John did not want to hear it. 

“Fine.” Of course, he wasn’t fine with any of it, but it's not like she would care anyway. 

She kept her cool and smiled pleasantly. “Well then let’s get on with the house rules.” She got up and went to the kitchen.

John wondered what she was getting. He tried to peer into the kitchen, but before long she returned with a stack of papers. She set them on the table and he glanced at them. 

He grimaced as he scanned the first page. It was all of his info. John had to bet that all of his incidents were there too. All of his plights, incidents, the info regarding his expulsion. He was starting to get scared. Was she going to blackmail him into behaving?

“John, I know you are probably wondering why I have all of your info.” Yeah, no shit. “It's because I want you to be aware that I have this information. I understand how all of this is difficult and I have made my rules to reflect this.” 

He looked up to see Valerie staring at him. “Ok?” He was starting to get confused. Was she not going to blackmail him? 

Apparently, his face showed all as she looked at him and went to explain further. “John, all I expect is for you to keep your room clean, get good grades, and try. Just try to have a better attitude and hope more. I know things are rocky right now, but I want it to get better.”

To this day, the teen couldn’t figure out why that was what broke him. Maybe it was because John overestimated himself, maybe it was because he had been dealing with Zander all week, but John couldn’t take it anymore. He didn’t want to listen to her cherry words and get even more confused. He was tired. He was really tired.

“Why?” His voice was quiet. Only a whisper as his brain desperately sought for answers.

“John?”

He cut her off. “Why? Why are you being so nice? Why are you acting as if you care?” At that moment there was a sort of fragileness to his voice, the edges of his shattered soul breaking, tiny pieces falling into the abyss of his mind.

She looked taken back, “John of course I care. I know how difficult it can be.” She sounded so sincere, calm, but he wouldn’t fall for it.

“No, you don’t.” 

“John, why don't you think I c-” 

He cut her off again. “HOW COULD YOU WHEN YOU-” When did he start standing? “When you were the ones to take my dad away.” His face felt wet as he said that.

And he continued. “I-I just don't understand. You-you can’t care for me or understand.” He sat back on the couch, putting his head in his hands. “You can't sit there all innocently when you were the one to take away the only one who believed in me.” His voice sounded so broken. Shattered like his soul.

He felt someone sit next to him. Someone warm like his dad. He knew who it was though. “John, please look at me.” 

After a minute of sitting there, John slowly lifted his head up, and he turned to look at Valerie sitting there. Her posture is still calm and collected. 

She gently grabbed his hands and looked at him. “John I know you don’t understand a lot of what's going on and I was told to wait before I told you, but I think you deserve to know.”

What? What didn’t John know?

Valerie continued. “Your dad, he wasn’t as amazing as you thought he was. He was manipulating you.” 

She was lying. “You’re wrong. All he wanted was for me to be happy.” Even after all of the shit John pulled, his dad was always there.

“I know it may seem that way, but John, he was lying to you. Why do you think he never helped you with your ability?” She so sounded desperate, but not. Still, her grasp was warm.

The question confused him though. “H-he was a cripple, what was he going to do?” 

Valerie gave him a pitied look like she felt bad for him. “Did you ever think about where your ability came from?”

Huh? “No? Why does that matter?” He tried looking into her eyes, wanting to know what she was getting at. 

“Your ability came from your mom and John, your dad knew that. He could have told you and helped you understand what it was. He probably knew all about her ability.”

No way. She’s lying.  John went wide-eyed. She couldn’t be telling the truth. If his dad knew anything to help him, he would tell. Right?

Valerie started to speak again. “I am so sorry you had to find out this way. You didn’t deserve to be kept in the dark.”

He turned to look at the documents on the table. “Is that why they took me away?”

He saw her smile out of the corner of his eye. “Yes, it is. They knew something was wrong when you went on a rampage. That just wasn’t normal and it meant there was something wrong. When your dad released his new book, it alerted the higher-ups and they just knew they had to take you out of that situation. I truly am sorry.”

He finally took his hands out of her grip and stared at them for a bit. This couldn’t be right. It didn’t make any sense. “I’m going to head to bed. I need to think.”

She nodded before opening her mouth. “What about dinner?”

He had already gotten up and started to make his way down the hall. “I’m not really hungry.” And it was true. He had lost his appetite. 

The walk back to his room only made it worse.

-

As John sat on the bed that was gifted to him, he couldn’t stop thinking about that damn conversation and by extension Valerie. His new guardian confused him. When he heard she was an authority figure, he assumed she was going to be strict and cruel. He thought she was going to be similar to Keon. He never expected her to be nice and willing to explain things to him when he had just yelled at her.

And he couldn’t even begin to comprehend the allegations she had thrown at his dad. She just accused him of manipulation. How was John even supposed to approach that? All of his life, he thought he knew his dad, inside and out. Now he was just supposed to take the word of a stranger.

Fuck no.

John couldn’t just block out the accusations though. There was a reason he was taken away, so he had to keep an open mind. He had to think carefully about all of this. 

He sat there before thinking about all of the emotions that he had been feeling. He still felt the same anger, rage, at the authorities, but now it was more complex. There was a sort of sadness and longing that was mixed in. And then there was the fear. A lot of fear. Fear towards the unknown, towards his dad, actually being a terrible person, towards the unsteady future that he was forced to pursue. There were so many negative emotions just swirling about. One emotion he lacked, however, was happiest. He hadn’t felt that in a long, long time. At this point, it felt more like a distant friend or cousin. Even thinking about it made the teen more upset. He just couldn’t win.

John sighed as he snapped out of his tangled thoughts. Slowly glancing around the room one last time, his new closet caught his eye. The memory of all the fancy polos and sweaters hanging up. He also remembered Valerie telling him that she got the clothes for him from her nephew. Apparently, they were the same age. Great. 

John flipped over on his right side and closed his eyes. These next few years were going to be long. 

And he was dreading them.

Chapter Text

The next day John woke up to a letter from Valerie informing him that she was at work and wouldn't be home till 5. She mentioned something about food in the fridge and not get in into any trouble, but all John could focus on was the fact that he was alone. Completely and utterly alone. There was no one in this house. There was no one to tell him what to do, where to go, what to eat, and there wouldn’t be for the next few hours.

He wouldn’t say he was happy, far from it, but there was a sort of relief in his mood. He didn’t have to act. John could just be himself if only till Valerie came home. Still, it was enough. He could recharge, recuperate, and think about his next plan of action.

So he got dressed in one of the few pairs of clothes that were his and went out to the living room. John thought about eating something, but his appetite had yet to come back. This led him to skip the couch and just lay on the floor. For others, it may seem weird, counterintuitive, but to John, it was a way to clear his head. He was able to just stare at the ceiling and watch the dust fall in the sunlight. 

And for a while he did. There was no noise, no movement, just peace. After a while though, the peace started to spoil. And as John continued to lie on the wooden floor he felt the urge to scream. He wanted to let out all of his anger and just yell at the world. He didn’t however due to a fear of the neighbors hearing and telling Valerie.

So he did the next best thing. John grabbed a pillow off his bed and laid back on the floor with the pillow over his mouth.

Then he screamed.

-

John did eventually get up. His stomach was yelling at him to eat something and John needed to start thinking again. Too much had happened in the past week and today was the first time that he could clearly think about everything with no one watching over him. 

The first thing to address was the elephant in the room, Valerie. What was he going to do about her? She was nice, very nice, but John couldn’t let himself fall for her tricks. He knew there was something fishy going on. Whether it was because of his dad or the authorities, John didn’t know. Still, he had to be careful. He just had to keep his distance and everything would work out.

The next thing John had to think about was his dad. John knew his dad was a good parent. At least he was pretty sure, but the things that were brought up wouldn’t leave his mind. How much did he really know about his dad? What was going on with his mother? Why hadn’t his dad told him? All of these questions were throwing the teen for a loop. He just had to keep an open mind. Trust his dad first, but don’t over-rely on his word.

The only other thing was his deteriorating mental state. John knew what he felt wasn’t good. He wasn’t supposed to be sad all of the time. He wasn’t supposed to want to scream every waking second. The problem was he couldn’t exactly fix it in his current situation. That meant he had to go with the next best thing, shove it all down, and forget about it until it becomes a bigger problem. (Because that hasn’t backfired before.)

Even with all of the supposed solutions, John was still very much worried. There were so many things that could go off of the rails. What if his dad was actually bad? What is Valerie just meant well? What if the authorities weren’t as bad as he thought? 

He hit his palm on his forehead. Stupid John of course they are bad. All of them are, even Valerie. He shook his head, trying to dispel the thoughts, and then moved over to the fridge and grabbed something to eat. Maybe later he could think more about this.

________________________________________

Later never came as Valerie came back before he could even try to think again. John heard her walk in from his room, but he didn’t move until she called for him. By the time he came out, she was already preparing what he assumed to be dinner.

“John, glad to see you found your way to the kitchen. Would you mind setting the table?” She didn’t even turn to look at him as she spoke. She just continued stirring whatever was in the massive pot. “The plates are in the cabinet on the right side and the silverware is just underneath.”

He followed her instructions without complaint and found everything with ease. John quickly picked up everything he needed and walked back to where the dining room was located. For a minute he had debated saying no, but this just wasn’t something worth fighting for. He would rather save his new guardian's patience for something he actually cares about. 

Like his dad.

After setting the table, John decided to look around. He only had to glance around for a second before spotting a wall full of paintings at the head of the dining table. There sat multiple photos of Valerie and her mysterious family. One photo immediately caught his eye. It was an old photo of Valerie in a pencil skirt holding a toddler to her hip. The kid had the same blonde hair and bright blue eyes. If he had to guess this was the nephew that lent him some clothes.

“He was so little back then.” 

John heard a voice and quickly whipped his head around in surprise. There standing behind him was Valerie. How she snuck up on him, John didn’t know. He stepped to the side, trying not to seem unsettled. “Uh yeah.”

She looked at him, smiled, and then pointed a finger at the kid. “That’s Arlo. He’s actually your age. He’s a high-tier too.” She let some nostalgia leak onto her face and sighed. “He is such a good kid. I know he has a bright future.”

John didn’t respond, choosing to instead look at the photo more closely. Maybe it has some secrets hidden somewhere. However, there was nothing but awkward silence.

“The blonde hair actually runs in the family. It was always funny when I got confused as the parent.” She looked back over at John. More specifically, she was looking into his eyes. “You know John, we could probably pass as mother and son. Our eyes are a similar color after all.”

His eyes went wide as he looked away from her. “My eyes are from my real mom. Plus other than our eyes, we look nothing alike.” What kind of sick joke was she playing? 

She laughed, not noticing how uncomfortable John was. “You never know.” With that, she started to move back to the table and sit down. “Come on, you don’t want your food to get cold.”

John wished he had a pillow to scream in at that moment because he really did not want to move anywhere near that woman. How dare she say that after accusing his father of manipulation the night before. She had no right. He couldn’t just stand there though. Valerie would get suspicious. So he followed her lead and sat in the seat across from her. 

Trying to distract himself from the words that wouldn’t leave his thoughts, John looked down at his plate to see what Valerie had cooked up. It was spaghetti. He waited only a second before he grabbed his fork and started to eat. 

And damn was it incredible. It definitely wasn’t anything compared to his dad’s best dishes that were made with love, but still, he had to make an effort to pace himself.

The moment didn’t last long as Valerie’s voice soon filled the room once again. “So John, as you know I will be working all throughout the week. This means I won't be able to get anyone to homeschool you.” 

John, mouth full of pasta, was once again confused. Quickly swallowing, he spoke, “Well, I can’t go back to school, I missed over 4 months now. There is no way I could ever catch up.” Truly, John struggled even before he stopped caring about his grades. He just had a hard time grasping all of the subjects.

“Actually I did find a school that would take you in.” She responded, her tone airy.

What? “That’s impossible. I was already expelled as a god-tier. Plus why do I even have to finish my second year so soon? I can just graduate a year behind. I don't mind all that much.” It would also allow him to have some time to recuperate before he had to face society again.

Valerie gave him a pity smile. “I’m sorry John, but the higher-ups want you on track for graduating. They think it will help you improve as a person and have a better future.”

That is legitimately the stupidest excuse they could have come up with. Really? A brighter future. For who? “Still that’s not fair.”

“John, life isn’t fair. Now as for the school, I originally wanted to go with Wellston because my nephew goes there, but the headmaster didn’t want to have to teach a child a whole year in 3 months so,-”

I wonder why.

“I contacted the second-best school, Agwin. They happily agreed on one condition.” She paused to let him process. 

He squinted his eyes. Agreements were never a good sign. “What was the condition?” John’s voice wavered as he spoke.

When she responded, he almost left right then and there. “The condition is that you must join the royals and boost their turf war wins.” Her tone was not helping with the sense of finality added to it.

Though he couldn’t run, he could yell. “What the fuck do you mean I have to join their turf wars!?” 

Immediate disapproval painted her face as she looked upon him. “John, I know using your ability can give you some nerves, but you need to get over it to be successful in life.”

Disapproval or not, she was pissing him off. “Nerves!? Do you think this is just nerves? I go on a rampage every single time I use my ability. It is not just fucking nerves. I am power hungry, egotistical, psycho when I use my power.” At that moment he wished he was lying. He wished he could follow his dad’s book and be an inspiration to others. He couldn’t though. John was just a power-hungry monster.

He heard a sigh come from the other side of the table. “Look, I know this is difficult. All of this change and all these things being forced on to you. And I am sorry I can’t do much about it. What we can do is get you an ability trainer.” 

Did she just apologize? “What do you mean by ability trainer?” John had heard of them before, but he thought they were reserved for people with out-of-control abilities or people with money.

“John, did William never get you in with an ability trainer?” He looked up at her shocked face.

“No? We weren’t exactly rich at the time.” Honestly, it was lucky John’s dad was able to get such a nice apartment with him being a cripple and all. 

Valerie looked confused before responding. “To answer your first question, an ability trainer is someone that specializes in helping people understand their ability and how to function with it. Also, John, trainers are not that expensive, I'm sure your dad could have afforded them. Plus there is an entire program dedicated to helping high-tiers function. I’m sure your dad could have enrolled you, and then none of this would’ve happened.”

  That’s not possible. There is no way dad just skipped an opportunity to help me with my ability. Maybe dad just wasn’t aware of it. Even with his attempts to justify why his dad didn’t get him any type of help, the accusations still shook the trust between father and son even more.

John took a breath and focused on the conversation. “Oh. I guess you can schedule one for me then.” The only thing he could do right now was focus on getting better so he could leave. The sooner that happened the sooner he could stop doubting his dad.

Valerie took a few bites of her spaghetti before opening her mouth to speak again. “Just keep in mind, you still have to help Agwin’s turf war team. It's only 3 months and I really need you to take this deal so you are all caught up on school.”

John shoved his fork in his food and frowned. “I still don’t see the issue with being a year behind. Plus what am I really going to accomplish in 3 months?”

His new guardian gave him an “are we seriously going to argue about this again” look. “I know you had a bad experience with being the king and using your ability, but John you have so much potential. I see this spark in you and I know you probably can’t see it, but when you do, you are going to do great things.”

He looked down and went silent for a moment before replying. “Fine.”

The rest of the meal was sat in silence. 

____________________________________

2 days later and John was preparing for the ability trainer to show up. He was alone in the house again as Valerie had work and the teen was pacing. Back and forth and back and forth. Over and over and over like it wasn’t the definition of insanity. He just couldn’t settle his nerves. 

It had been 4 months since he had activated his ability and John was afraid. He was terrified. Truly he had regretted telling Valerie that he wanted a trainer. He at least wished he had waited to confirm it. The teen just hadn’t expected her to schedule it so soon. He thought he had a week at least, so when Valerie informed him during dinner last night that today he was training, John panicked.

She had said that the guy was an expert, that he had dealt with troubled teens all of the time, but John doubted he had to deal with out-of-control god-tiers. What if he killed the guy?

Oh god. What if he killed the trainer? John’s speed of walking was slowly increasing. Going from a slow walk to basically a jog. The dude was going to get hospitalized. He wasn’t going to survive, and then John was going to get sent back to the facility. He would never see his dad again and then would probably get turned into a science project by the authorities. What to do with an out-of-control god-tier? Oh, I know. Let's use his blood for experiments.  

His breathing started to get heavy, his vision blurry. John was trying his hardest not to hit the wall as he continued to pace. He was starting to pass out. The thought of dying crossed his mind. Maybe if he just killed himself first, then he could prevent himself from killing anyone else. Yeah, that would work. 

He just had to walk to the door.

Turn the door handle.

Open the door.

And there was a man standing there.

Fuck.

-

Turns out while John was hyperventilating, Rowan was knocking on the door. He was shocked to see the man, but quickly got over it (somehow) and introduced himself. Thankfully his new trainer had no idea what had just occurred in John's mind and the teen had no intention of telling him.

After introductions and then a weird bout of silence, the pair moved out into the big backyard and sat on the grass. The two stared at each other for a minute while trying to figure out how to break the awkwardness. Rowan seemed to be in his late 20. He had dim red eyes and a bush of dark green hair. He looked like Christmas had puked on his head. John wasn’t really one to judge though, considering he was thinking the dude was going to be dead within the hour.

“So John, tell me what exactly you know about your ability and your issues with it.” The man spoke with a deep calming voice.

He thought about what he wanted to reveal and decided to just be honest. They weren’t going to get anywhere if he didn’t and chances were Valerie already told Rowen everything anyway. “My ability is called Aura Manipulation and it's at a 7 right now.” He looked down at the grass before continuing. “I don't really have any issues with my ability per se, but for some reason, the power just seems to go to my head. I end up going too far and my opponents end up half-dead.” 

John had never felt so ashamed to admit something like that. Truly he adored his ability, especially back then. It was his pride and joy and he tried everything to improve it. And then it all went to his head and he fucked up. John went too far and everything fell apart.

Rowan thought for a minute before replying. “Ah, that is quite an issue. I’m guessing it’s because you're a late bloomer. Too much power, too fast. Hm.” The man went silent for another long moment and then continued. “I think I have a solution.”

John blinked in surprise. “Really?” That was fast

His trainer nodded. “Yes. You need to start to get more comfortable with using your ability in non-combative scenarios.”

Heh? That was all? “Uh, okay?” John had been trying to find a solution for a solid month and all he was able to come up with was just forgetting he ever had one. This guy just came up with something that sounded way too simple in just a matter of seconds. Sure.

“John, your issue is that when you developed your ability you were lower in the hierarchy. I am assuming you had to deal with a lot of unhealthy environments when you were training and it created a toxic relationship with your powers. To undo all of that, we need to start from the beginning. Instead of using your ability for fights, use it to better your life.” When the man finished, he got up and told John that he was going to get something.

John nodded but wasn’t really paying all that much attention. He was more focused on the last sentence that Rowen spoke. What did this man mean I could use my power to better my life?

This was too much. He rested his head in his palms and closed his eyes. It had only been 3 days since he left Zander and a week since he left his dad, yet so much has changed. How? It didn’t make any sense. None of this did. First, it was Valerie with her quick accusations and good points and now it's Rowan with simple answers to what should be impossible questions.

Why was everything becoming so much simpler yet so much more complicated? 

John took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and stood up. He looked around the background and just tried to calm his fast heart rate. 

In and out and in and out and in and out and in and out. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 - 7 6 5 4 3 2 1.

 After a moment his trainer returned with targets.

John looked at them curiously. “What are the targets for?” Was he going to be shooting something?

Rowen walked further down the yard and put one of the two down. “They are for you to practice. My ability is called Bow. I can basically create a bow and arrows out of energy and shoot them. Because you can mimic mine, we are doing target practice today.” He put the other one down and walked back towards John. 

Well, this will certainly be interesting. John looked at the two targets with red circles painted on them. Where did his trainer even get these?

Rowen cleared his throat and began to talk again. “Alright, I will demonstrate and then you can copy. You just need me to activate my ability and then you can mimic it right?”

John looked back over to Rowen. “Yeah.”

He saw his trainer smirk. “Alright then, whoever gets the most bullseye wins.”

“What! That's not fair” John said with a more joking tone.

Rowen laughed. “Too bad!” His red eyes then began to glow and a dark green bow appeared in his hands. He pulled back the bow and a similar colored arrow shot. It landed right on target.

Well, this is going to be fun. John carefully activated his ability and then copied his trainer's aura. He slowed his breathing as a black bow appeared in his hands. He drew the bow back, aimed at the target, and let go.

Right on target.

Rowen is going down. And just like that, John had forgotten about any anxiety with using his ability. And maybe it did come back after Rowen left, but still, it was a start.

____________________________________

It was Sunday night and John had been staring at himself in the mirror for almost an hour. He was wearing his school uniform, a white dress shirt with a tan blazer, and John couldn’t stop thinking about all of the things that could go wrong on his first day at Agwin. He knew he would have to introduce himself and his ability. He also knew that once he did, everyone was going to fear him. The teen was well aware of how powerful he was. Most people meet maybe one or two god-tiers in their lifetime. Even high-tiers were feared throughout. Their power level just wasn't normal. This all meant that John would be outcast at the top and honestly he really didn’t want that.

He just wanted friends. He wanted to feel accepted, to feel like a normal person. He didn’t want to be looked at like some monster.  

He sighed and looked at the tie in his hands. He really wished he could just drop out of school altogether. Even with his trainer helping him with his ability, John knew it wouldn’t be enough to keep the monster at bay and he was terrified for when he was going to be correct.

He really didn’t want to be correct. 

Because being correct meant there was a dead body staring back at him.

Chapter Text

All John could feel when staring at this classroom of high school kids was panic. That one word really just summarized his whole morning. From the awkward drive to school to the lovely chat that he and Valerie had with the headmaster. Even having to remember how that conversation went made John want to gag. Truly this whole thing had not helped John’s anxiety about going to a new school so soon. It especially didn’t help the fear of having to use his ability.

And to top it all off, he had to introduce himself to the class, his ability and all. The teen was hoping his new teacher had already forgotten about that part. It had to be at least 30 minutes since she had mentioned it and all of her talking must’ve shaken her memory somewhat. Though, even if there was a chance he could skip introducing his ability, John still had to tell them his name. And he really didn’t know what to say. 

It didn’t help that when the teacher had finally finished talking, John just stood there in silence like he wasn’t the new kid on the block. Now everyone was just staring at him and he didn’t know how to break the thick silence.

He heard a cough from his left and looked over. His new teacher was glaring at him. Shit, he was taking too long. “Uh, Hi, I am John. I hope we can get along.” Straightforward and simple. Not that his classmates gave any shit. Hopefully, though his teacher forgot about their split-second whispering early about a certain god-tier rank he was supposed to mention.

John, hopeful, looked at the teacher for where he was supposed to go. Instead of telling him to go to a certain seat, however, the woman got up close to his ear and whispered something. “John, remember you have to introduce your ability with your name.”

Shit . Why? Why was that a rule? John rolled his eyes and stared back at the class who were trying to distract themselves with things other than him. Figuring he had no choice in revealing his ability, John spoke up for a second time. “And, uh, my ability is called Aura Manipulation.” This was so awkward.

“And your rank.” Another whisper from his teacher. He was really starting to hate her and it was only the first day.

“I am a-” He really didn’t want to say it. It didn’t help that most of the students were paying attention now. “I’m a-” John took a quick breath and spit it out. “A god-tier.” 

And boy oh boy did that really get the attention of everyone, and not in a good way. Trying to block the now shocked stares out of his vision, John turned once again to his teacher, trying to ask where to go with only his face.

Understanding what he was asking, she told him. “John, you can sit in front of Rein. She is the one in the back row next to the wall. Rein please raise your hand.” 

John faced back to the class and saw a girl with her hand up. Trying not to look at anyone, he clutched the black binder in his hands tightly and walked over to her. She gave him a curious glance as he sat down. He just turned his head forward, ignoring her. He took a quick breath and closed his eyes.

He could do this. 

John had already planned for everyone to be wary of him, especially with his ability. Most god-tiers didn’t have many friends and any friends that they did have were usually also high-tiers. He hadn’t actually met any other god-tiers other than himself, but it was pretty obvious, even from his personal experience, that people feared god-tiers. Hell, they feared high-tiers; the difference though stems from the power. God-tiers were unnatural. And people were scared of what they didn’t understand. 

Basically what this meant was that he had no choice but to stick to the shadows. John knew that this school didn’t possess any high-tiers, which pretty much indicated that the only people who would talk to him were people that wanted something. Whether it be mid-tiers that wanted access to protection and his power or elite-tiers that wanted more influence, either way, he wasn’t planning on befriending anyone. He didn’t need anyone sucking up to him or manipulating him into taking over the whole school. It was only 3 months anyway and then he was free for the summer. John could do this.

The ravenette heard the teacher starting her lecture so he opened his binder up and started jotting down notes for the lecture. 

-

John took it back. He would rather get expelled than deal with this school's bs. John didn't know if he was ready to face Keon again, but he sure as hell would rather try instead of dealing with selfish brats. They were all just a little too good at grating his nerves. 

The teen thought back to the three classes he had to suffer through. The number of unending questions he had to answer. Admittedly his first period was fine. John had gotten weird looks, but that had been the extent of it. He only wished he could say the same for his second and third periods. Both were full of intrusive questions and teens trying to call him out on a bluff. And without missing a beat, they would all look at the teacher as if she knew he was lying about his ability

John only wished he was. 

He wasn’t though and that was honestly the worst part. 

When the teacher didn’t call John out on a lie, that made them ask even more questions. Questions that stemmed from when he was going to challenge the king to what his ability even did. They didn’t even wait to ask these questions when class was over, deciding to just interrupt the teacher and run up to his desk. They didn’t even have to go far as both teachers agreed on making his life miserable and seating him in the middle. 

John couldn’t even do anything about it. Usually, he could use his power to threaten everyone and it would be all fine and dandy, but his situation isn’t normal. John is only able to attend this school because Valerie and the headmaster made a deal. If he were to break said deal by acting out, his new guardian would be pissed . It also meant that John would probably have to spend some time with Keon. (And no matter what he said earlier, he really didn’t want to go back.) 

So John just got to suffer through all of the questions and stares without complaint. And he still had three periods to go. 

Joy.

The sulking teen looked up from his cafeteria food and found eyes on him. He felt like an animal like he was the attraction in a petting zoo. John just took a breath and went back to eating in his own peace. If only his peace wasn’t cursed to last only a second. 

John heard someone clear their throat and looked up. The girl from his first period was staring at him. Rein maybe? “Uh-do you need something?” 

She looked pissed. Great. “You're sitting at my table.” 

Of course, I am. John was so sick of people at this point. “And?”

She rolled her eyes. “And I need you to move.” Her voice was sharp but quiet. 

Maybe if he hadn’t already dealt with way too much of people's bullshit, John would have moved. Sadly that wasn’t the case. “I’m good, thanks. If you want you can either take that seat.” He raised his arm to gesture to the seat in front of him. “Or you can find somewhere else.” 

“And if I choose neither of those?” She didn’t smile.

“Then you’ll have to force me to move.” Not that he wanted her to, all John really wanted to do was eat in peace.

Rein raised a brow at him. “You know any normal high-tier would have thrown me against a wall by now, but you haven’t.”

John took a bit of his half-cold mashed potatoes. “They also would have gone to Wellston, but here I am.” He just wanted her to leave him alone.

She didn’t seem to care too much though because the next thing he knew, he was dodging a spider leg while still picking at his mashed potatoes. John didn't even try to activate his ability, he didn’t feel like dealing with the mental consequences, so he settled on threatening her. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I was a high-tier. So unless you want to be sent to the infirmary, deactivate your ability and sit down.” Hopefully, his cold voice was enough to scare her off.

Rein seemed to contemplate what he had said and then finally just sat down across from him. He still wasn’t fully alone, but it was better than nothing. He sighed and put his full attention back on his food, only glancing up once to see Rein and the rest of the students populating the cafeteria taking long glances at him. He immediately looked back down and pulled his phone out. Maybe he could find a game on the app store to distract him. 

John just had to look on the bright side. At least no one was coming up to him and asking a million questions. At least Rein just sat there quietly. At least he could sit in some semblance of peace and pretend he couldn’t hear the many whispers that were going on around him.

He just couldn't let them go to his head. He refused to lose control again.

-

Thankfully after lunch, there were fewer questions for him. Maybe he scared some people off during his interaction in the cafeteria, who knows. He was just glad no one had attacked him or tried to fight him. John knew that the king would come running for a fight eventually. No self-respecting elite-tier would ignore the chance at fighting a supposed high-tier. They probably think it would be satisfying to humiliate someone and reveal they are actually a low-tier. 

Because really what are the chances of a god-tier joining the school. Especially one who is only in their second year. It was crazy, unnatural . And John wasn’t prepared for it. He knew he could probably beat the guy, the issue more stemmed from his being able to restrain himself. He just wasn’t ready. (Would he ever be?)

Still, John knew he had no choice and wouldn’t ever get one until he graduated this year. Then there wouldn’t be any leverage and John could intimidate anyone of his choosing. He just had to survive 3 months. Just 3 months. And then more months of Valerie. And more years. And what if it never really ended. How long would John actually have to wait? Would he ever be free? Would he ever be able to make his own choices? Would he ever be able to see his dad again? Would he want to?

John tried to calm himself down when he realized he was hyperventilating on the sidewalk. Oops. He had to save his mental breakdown for when he was home alone. Not walking home from school.

He could just hear Valerie saying “Well you wouldn’t have to if you just let me drive.” It was the one thing he could make a choice on and John didn’t regret it for a second. He didn’t want to ride the bus, not that he could anyway with him staying 2 hours after, and he definitely didn’t want to sit in a car with Valerie every single day. His mind would have crumbled.

So here he was, speed walking home, so he could question life for the umpteenth time alone in his room. 

And eventually, he made it.

________________________________________ 

John couldn’t tell if dinners with Valerie were getting better as the days went by or worse. Either way on this particular day it was an hour after his ability trainer had left when he and his new guardian decided to start eating and even though it was only Wednesday, John was, as usual, extremely tired. 

In the past 3 days, the school had turned into a complete mental drain. Every day there was a different issue he had to get through and every day it made trying to sort his mind out even harder. And it had only been 3 days. John couldn’t imagine 3 months of dealing with idiotic classmates that frustrated him to the extreme. 

Yet he somehow had to endure. He had to endure and not change who he was as a person. And the teen was really starting to doubt if he could pull it off. He was already having doubts about his dad and now he is having second thoughts about his opinions about the authorities. He couldn’t even believe it. John could not believe that 3 weeks ago he despised them with a burning passion and now it has been reduced to barely a simmer. 

Currently, he had more of a fear of them than any type of anger or rage. His mind just refused to see Valerie as a completely evil person. Yes, he is definitely not a fan of her nor her ability to call any high-ranking official on the spot and complain about him, but it’s hard to hate someone that has given him a second chance. She is letting him try his hand at being a successful high-tier. 

Valerie is letting him reach his full potential and maybe that wasn’t what he wanted at first. Maybe John just wanted to fade into the shadows, however, if he can prove to his old high school and show his dad that he can be something other than a monster, then John is going to try. 

Of course, his determination is still lacking. His mind is in shambles and it doesn’t really have much excess to pass around. Valerie, as helpful as she is sometimes, really doesn’t help much in the ‘I feel like I am going to explode’ department. She honestly makes it so much worse. 

Which is why John is currently poking at his chicken and trying not to look up at his caretaker, hoping that in doing so he is eliminating the chance of conversation. 

Of course, this plan fails spectacularly as Valerie interrupts his spiral. “So John,” He looked up at her. “How were classes today? I know you mentioned a lot of your classmates were curious about your ability. I hope they aren’t interrupting your studies.” She gave him a pleasant smile as she cut up her food.

Of course, she would bring up school . It was a classic parent caretaker move. “School is fine and they stopped bothering me after the first day.” Thankfully. John didn’t know if he could take that many questions for multiple days in a row. 

She finished chewing before responding. “That’s good to hear. You don’t need anyone distracting you from your piles of work.”

He nodded. “Yeah, that wouldn’t be good.”

“Oh, I have some good news.” Valerie’s voice perked up as she spoke. It was something to do with Arlo then.

“Really? Did you get a promotion?” Of course, John didn’t actually think that. He was just buttering her up. The more he did, the less she could throw confusing questions at him.

She softened her smile. “Sadly no. Arlo, my nephew, has some free time this weekend. So I asked him if he would like to meet you.”

Ah, crap. “That would be amazing!” He smiled at her. (Fake of course) He really didn’t want to hang out with this Arlo fellow. This guy was apparently a high-tier and as much as John was trying, he was an outcast of the overpowered community. He sucked at following social norms and went way too overboard with his ability. This meeting was doomed.

Valerie put her fork down and clapped her hands together gently. “Perfect! I will contact Arlo for the details tomorrow. Oh, I should give you his phone number. That way you guys can plan what you want to do.” 

“That would be nice.” The complete opposite actually. He really did not feel comfortable giving his number out. John sadly did not have a choice. He knew how his guardian saw Arlo. If he had to bet, she would take Arlo over him any day.

“Alright once you finish eating, we can clean up, and then I will give you his number.” She grabbed her napkin from her lap and started dabbing at her face. 

“Of course.” 

That night John got a new number added to his phone. 

And he proceeded to act like it didn’t exist. 

________________________________________

It was Friday afternoon and John was staring at the only two messages that were exchanged between him and Arlo. Both of which just said hello. It was an awkward start to a conversation and that meant this was as far as it was going until they met up on Saturday. Neither of them even knew where they were meeting up. John just assumed Arlo would be stopping at the house and then they could just walk somewhere. What else were two sophomores supposed to do? 

John closed his messenger app and tried to focus on where he was going. He was supposed to already be at the library right now, but his tutor said that she was going to be late. So John took the liberty of strolling around campus and enjoying the fresh air.

And that was his first mistake.

His second mistake was thinking the king had forgotten about John’s existence. 

Both of these were realized when he felt an aura activate right behind him. I hope this doesn’t make me late. If only John was that lucky. John quickly activated his ability, already knowing who was behind him. He took a quick glance behind to see the aura, copied it, and then stomped his foot.

To anyone else, they would have no idea what just happened. All they saw was the King, Estan, activate his ability and then pound his foot against the ground. The only indication that something was happening was the soft orange color moving quickly along the ground toward a certain god-tier. From that same perspective, the god-tier also stomped his foot. The difference was that instead of a soft orange glow hovering above the ground, a dark smoke quickly arose and met the orange in the middle of the two students. The auras clashed and made a small hill of dirt.

“Hello to you too.” John spoke coldly as he glanced back at Estan. He was pissed to say the least. All he wanted was a nice walk and now he had a fight on his hands. Though John was going to try his hardest to avoid that. He couldn’t let this go past mild threats. John could not directly attack this dude. Worst case scenario he kills the old king. Best case scenario, John walks away with no new title and a promise that this prick will leave him the hell alone.

John saw a smirk appear on the orange-haired teen as Estancia opened his mouth. “Well, I wouldn’t really call that a hello. More like, I challenge you to a rank match. Liar. ” 

And there it is. The cockiness of an elite-tier who was way too prideful. Great . So John quickly decided on his next course of action. He stomped his foot again.

It really didn’t take long for John to completely figure out what exactly Estan's ability was. When you spend hours researching, every power feels unoriginal. His classmate could use his ability to control the ground. All he had to do was tap it and then he could give it a command. The shadows are his power leading the ground to its destination.

When John amped it, he simply got better control and more complex commands. Commands like trapping Estan’s feet in the same ground that he could control. He knew once his classmate realized he could use his hands that it would turn into more of a fight, but for now, John gave himself a bit of talking room.

“Estan I am only going to tell you this once.” His voice sounded loud. Too loud. “I will help you in the turf wars, but I refuse your challenge. I don’t want to be king. I also don’t want you bothering me about it. So for my sanity and yours, leave me alone and don’t challenge me ever again.” John turned around to leave. He started walking away, the crowd that had formed, parting for him. 

John quickly stopped and then stomped his foot one more time. A wall rose from the ground as it blocked the oncoming attack. John turned around, but only halfway. “This is your last warning. Attack me again and I will send you to the infirmary.” More like his deathbed. He waited a second before continuing onward to the library. 

After he made a bit of distance, John checked for the time.

Shit, I’m late.

________________________________________

The mirror held a strange image. It was of a black-haired boy with a white dress shirt, jeans, and a belt. It made John uncomfortable.

He was used to cargo pants and t-shirts. This whole outfit stretched way out of his comfort zone, but Valerie requested he wear some of the clothes she bought him, and who was he to say no. He didn’t want to imagine what saying no would have looked like.

He closed his eyes and turned away from the mirror, trying to rid his reflection out of his mind. He had to focus. Today was the day he was meeting Arlo for the first time. He had heard a lot about the guy from Valerie.

He knew that Arlo was a second-year like him and that he was also a high-tier. The blonde teen still hadn’t reached god-tier level, but Valerie said he was on track to becoming one for the next year. 

Still knowing all of this did nothing to help the nerves that were slowly growing. John was absolutely terrified to meet another high-tier. The only ones he had met up until now were all adults, so this would be a completely different experience.

John suddenly heard a knock at the door. He's here. The teen was definitely not ready, but at this point, he didn’t know if he would ever be. So he waited for Valerie to get it before scooting up close to the door and trying to listen in. Sadly, no matter how much he tried, all John could hear for the few minutes he tried was muffled talking. 

He had to leave his room if he wanted to know what they were talking about. If only he cared that much. Maybe if he just stayed in his room long enough, Arlo would forget who he was here to meet. John was only able to chill for another minute before hearing his name. Damnit. He had to come out now.

John took a quick glance at his safe space, steeled himself, and opened the door. And there Arlo was in all his blonde hair and blue-eyed glory. He was also short. Great. John guessed the height gene didn’t run in the family.

“Ah John, this is Arlo.” Her voice was as smooth as usual, but there was a hint of pride. 

John made his way over to the front door where Valerie and Arlo stood. “Uh, hello, I’m John.” He awkwardly held his hand out for Arlo to grab. And damn was his grip strong.

After Arlo almost broke his hand, (was it his passive?) he spoke. “Hello, as Aunt Val mentioned, I’m Arlo. It’s nice to meet you.” 

How interesting. He called her Val. John wondered what would happen if he called Valerie that. He felt like it would be as taboo as calling a teacher by their first name. Funny but unnatural.

Before he could think too much about it Valerie interrupted. “So what are you guys going to do today?” She put her hand on her hips.

Thankfully Arlo jumped in to reply because John had no clue. “We were thinking of just walking around town. There was a new cafe that opened up that I wanted to check out.” 

John just smiled and went along with it. “Yup, I haven’t been able to see the town much, so this will be nice.” And that was true. All he had really done since moving to Wellston was go to school and that really wasn’t his definition of a good time.

-

After the introductions, John and Arlo departed and just strolled around town. John really didn’t have any arguments with what Arlo said they were going to do, so here they were with two drinks from the new boba place. This was also where John discovered what type of person Arlo was.

Because he decided to order black coffee. What a dark-souled person.

Currently, they were just walking in silence. And it was nice. Arlo didn’t seem to be afraid of him, which was such a surreal experience. The dude was also a high-tier so it made sense, but after having to deal with so many terrified looks, the change was welcomed. 

It made John want to start a conversation. It made John curious. What was a normal conversation with someone his age like? Truly it sounded ridiculous to anyone else. “So, how is Wellston going?” His voice was full of nerves.

Arlo looked away from the street in front of them and turned to the ravenette. “It’s better.”

John turned to him confused. “Better?”

The blonde sighed. “Yes, better. I finally managed to fix the hierarchy in my school. Before, it was a disaster.” He took a sip of his coffee.

John thought for a minute. Fix the hierarchy? What was wrong with it? He proceeded to ask Arlo.

“The previous king believed in the equality of everyone. So all of the royals had to play nice with the low-tiers it was all fine and dandy when he was here, but as soon as he left, nothing stuck. It was chaos. I happened to be his successor which meant it was my job to fix it all.” Arlo turned his eyes down to look at his coffee like it held some sort of answer.

John made a face. “That sounds fun.” He said sarcastically. The teen didn’t actually know what that would be like. He was the king that made the disaster that others had to fix after all.

Arlo let out a laugh. “Yeah, it was miserable.” He turned to look back at John. “How’s Agwin? They must be panicking with a high-tier around.”

John took a sip of his boba before responding. “It sucks, that's for sure.” he contemplated what he wanted to say before continuing. “It’s just weird being surrounded by people that either wants nothing to do with you or everything to do with you. It makes it hard to make friends.” 

John saw the blonde nod. “That would be frustrating. I guess I’ve been so busy with the hierarchy I haven’t even thought of making friends. We do have a bunch of elite-tiers in Wellston though, so I don't really feel as awkward.”

“That’s nice.” John sighed and closed his eyes. “I wish being a high-tier was easy.”

He heard the other laugh. “You’re telling me.”

The two proceeded to continue chatting as the day ticked by. 

And John was the most content he had been in a long time. There were no confusing questions, no crappy classmates, and no authorities. It was just two guys hanging out. 

After that day, they started texting more. Not as much as normal friends, but still, it was something.

Chapter Text

John looked at Rein as they sat across from each other for the second week in a row. Neither decided to move after that day, and neither wanted to initiate conversation. They just sat in awkward silence for 30 minutes every day.

It was starting to get insufferable. 

So John just tried to think about all that was happening. This was the only time of day that he got any peace, he might as well figure his life out while it lasted. Hence his current position staring at his phone. He had Arlo’s and his messages pulled up and was trying to think of a response to Arlo’s text. He usually didn’t have too much trouble with this type of thing before, but John also hasn’t talked to someone his age in a while. Maybe he was just rusty.

After their stroll through Wellston, both boys started to text. It started out as a sort of advice chain. John asked for tips on how to deal with stuck-up Royals and Arlo asked how to get taller. (John told him there was nothing he could do but pray he wasn’t left out of the tall gene pool. Arlo cussed him out and then didn’t respond for a day. It made John smile if only a little.) After a few days of that back and forth, they eventually started on small talk. It was just simple how was your day and such, yet for John, it felt like so much more. He had someone ask him how his day was. No one has really done that for him before.

That specific question was actually what John was trying to respond to. He knew he was overthinking it, but the teen couldn’t figure out whether making a joke about crying in a corner would be funny or just depressing. He didn’t want to kill the mood they had going on, he simply wanted to add some dark humor to the mix.

Deciding, after 15 minutes, that it was best to play it safe until they knew each other better, John typed a simple ‘it’s Monday so’ and sent it off. 

He finally put his phone down and started to eat the rest of his lunch. No matter how much he would like to just toss the meal, eating was important. John had to sort his life out before the bell anyway. So he tried to delve into his thoughts and clear his head. His attempt was quickly thwarted though, as a certain silver-headed classmate broke the 2-week-long silence.

“Why didn’t you become King?” 

John snapped out of his thoughts as he looked up to his classmate who was moving around a piece of chicken with her fork. Well, that came out of nowhere. “And why is that any of your business?” 

She shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just strange that a high-tier doesn’t immediately gun for the top position.” 

John moved his eyes from her and down at his half-eaten lunch. She wouldn’t understand . “I just have a lot going on right now. Adding King on top of everything would just stress me out.” It was part of the truth.

“Oh.” She stabbed one of her remaining chicken bites. “Why are you joining the turf wars then?”

The ravenette’s head whipped up. “And how would you know that?” He hadn’t told anyone and the others weren’t supposed to either. At least that’s what the headmaster told them.

Rein shrugged once again. “Broven told me. He said he was too excited to keep it a secret and had to tell someone.”

The jack? He knew Broven looked way too excited to keep his mouth shut. What a bother. He sighed before responding. “Yes I will be taking Estan’s spot and he will be moving down to jack. It was the headmaster's idea so Agwin could stand a chance against Wellston.” 

“Well good luck.” She finally ate the chicken bite after staring at it for a while. 

He tilted his head at that. Usually, most people wouldn’t wish any luck upon high-tiers. Most are so powerful that it would be a shock if they did lose. “Uh, thanks, I guess.” John however was grateful for it, unlike others, he did need it. A lot. 

After that, the conversation drifted off to silence and John decided that it was time to get up. He liked going to class early to avoid any potential stares, so he grabbed his tray and stood up from his seat. He started to move and was about to pass by Rein before he heard her speak up again.

“Hey.” 

He looked to see her still staring at her food. “Yes?”

She fiddled for a minute before answering. “Can-Can I have your um, can I have your uh.” Rein paused for a moment. 

“What is it?” John cut through, his voice sounding rather annoyed. He just wanted to get out of the cafeteria.

Rein flinched. “U-uh never mind.” She then went quiet and just stared at her food.

That was weird. Without responding, John started to move, walking away from the awkward classmate. He thought about what she could have been asking for, but nothing came up. 

Once he made it to class, the conversation escaped his brain and he never found out what she was asking. 

________________________________________

A week later and even after having a few conversations with Rein, he still didn’t know. John couldn't dwell on it too much though because he had homework. Homework that he had to work on in the living room due to Valerie complaining about him shutting himself in his room. It’s not like she was wrong, John just couldn’t tell her it was because he feared having conversations with her.

Of course, John still liked chatting with Valerie, she just had a tendency to bring up how bad his dad’s parenting skills were. It always came up when she was praising his progress. She would tell him how proud she was and then go on about how he could have done this and that yet because his dad was borderline ‘abusive’ (her words not his) John had been held back from his true potential.

At first, he could ignore her words somewhat. Yeah, it still made him question his dad’s actions, but he could look past that. After a while, it just became harder to ignore. Valerie made some good points and each time she brought up new advice to help him, it made the teen question why his dad hadn’t done that. 

He couldn’t just start hating his dad though. He wouldn’t. His dad was an incredible father even if he didn’t do such a good job handling John’s new ability. Right?

John quickly pushed those thoughts away. He didn’t need to be stressing himself out even more. He just needed to get through his homework and figure out these math problems. 

Right, the math problems. Damnit, I have no idea what I’m doing. He sighed dejectedly after remembering why his mind was drifting in the first place. Nevertheless, John had to get this done, it was due the following day and John had already procrastinated long enough. So he focused on problem number one and attempted to solve it.

“Aren’t you working hard.” Shit.

As soon as he heard Valerie’s voice he started to contemplate murder. John had just started to focus on his homework and now all of that mental progress was out the window. He had to keep his cool though, even if cussing out his caregiver seemed like a nice option, so John tried his best to respond ‘nicely’. 

“Well, I was.” His voice came out annoyed. Oops. He said he would try, not that he would succeed.

He heard her walk over the piles of paper that were the couch. “Someone’s frustrated. You know John, if you spoke to your future boss like that you would’ve been fired on the spot.” 

John felt the spot next to him dip as he sighed. He turned to look at her amused expression. Slowly turning back to his homework, John replied dejectedly, “Yeah yeah, I know. I am sorry. It's just math is so-” He dramatically put his hands against his face and leaned back. “-hard! When am I going to need any of this anyway.” 

Valerie snorted softly beside him. “Someday, I promise. Besides that, the reason I bothered you was that I wanted to ask about the turf war coming up. It’s this weekend right?” 

Ah, crap. John knew he was forgetting something.

The day after John had essentially humiliated Estan in the courtyard, the headmaster had called the royals up to her office and told them how the upcoming turf wars were going to work. Basically, John was going to replace the king and then everyone else was going to move down. So Estan was Jack, Broven was booted off and Brin, the queen, just stayed as she was. They were going to be fighting 4 different schools, 1 that weekend, 2 in the upcoming month, and 1 more in the last month of school.

John was expected to win all of them. Even the one against Wellston, where he was told another god-tier was a part of their roster. How lovely. 

All of this just made John panic again. He had successfully forgotten about this little chore and now being reminded of it set him on edge. 

Valerie had noticed his sudden anxiety and spoke. “So you forgot. John, I know you hate fighting, but this is going to be your entire future. You are going to have to get used to it at some point.”

John rolled his eyes after hearing that. He didn’t have to use his ability in the future. He could become a writer like his dad. (Not that the teen had any talent for writing or creating in general.) “I know, you don’t have to keep telling me.” He started fidgeting with his pencil.

“Look, you can be nervous, but you have already made so much progress with your ability. Rowen informed me that you guys have already started sparing and you haven’t lost control once.” She spoke with her usual calm voice, but it held a sort of seriousness to it.

Valerie was right about him improving. In the past month, he had worked hard to relearn how to use his ability more practically. He adjusted his way of thinking and turned his ability into a tool instead of a revenge scheme. Yet even with all of this progress, John still didn’t feel comfortable fighting a group of elite-tiers with no one to stop him.

He just didn’t feel ready and his silence towards Valerie's comment echoed that.

She took the pencil that he had been tapping against the table away and grabbed his hand gently. He met her golden eyes, they looked so much like his and listened as she opened her mouth to speak. “John, I know you had certain people trying to ingrain into your head that you could never reach your potential, that you were out of control. But that wasn’t your fault. You had just developed an ability that was way beyond anything you could have dreamed of and had to somehow figure it out on your own.

“It is a miracle you got so powerful by only using your imagination. John, you have so much potential and I would hate to see that waste just because your father’s words are holding you back from success. I believe you can achieve incredible things, Rowen believes the same thing. It is you that is holding you back.” 

And there it was, the confusing advice that bashed his dad all in the same sentence. He just couldn’t keep quiet. “What did my dad do that was so bad? You keep mentioning how bad he was yet never elaborate.” He asked, his voice sounding annoyed. 

Valerie closed her eyes for a moment before opening them and replying. “I think I mentioned when you first got here that your dad held you back. From what the authorities found, he was trying to brainwash you and other high-tiers into a flawed mentality that the strong must protect the weak. If they don’t then they are terrible people. You were using your power for greed because no one was there to teach you any different. Your dad saw this opportunity and used it to twist your brain into thinking you were a terrible person because you weren’t using your ability to how he saw fit.”

She paused for a minute to let him process and then continued. “Instead of getting you the help you needed, he waited until you were too far gone, and then when you were trying to heal, your dad shoved his book in your face so that you would fit his ideals. And John that is what was so wrong about it. He was using you and when the higher-ups found out about this book and what was happening to you, they decided it was best to find you a new home. You needed to live with someone that could help nurture your talents so you could reach your potential.

“And that is why I keep saying he was the bad guy because John, he was.” She finally stopped talking and they sat in silence for a moment. Neither wanted to add to the bombshell that Valerie had just dropped.

Finally, John said something in return. “Oh.” He looked away from Valerie and frowned. “That makes more sense, I think.” It didn’t, but he couldn’t disagree.

She slowly removed her hands from his and got up. “I am going to leave you alone for a bit. I think you just need some time to process. I will be in my office if you have any questions.” Once she finished speaking, Valerie started her walk down the hall to her office.

It was sometime before John moved. All he could do was think. Was his dad really manipulating him? That couldn’t be right. Could it? His dad wouldn’t do that. Right?

He wished he could just ask the man himself for the answer, but the teen knew that would never happen. Plus what if his dad just lied to John. What if he had been lying the entire time? Maybe the man blamed John for his wife’s death. Maybe this was his revenge on John. 

Th-that couldn’t be it though. It couldn’t be. It just didn’t make any sense. Although his dad did start writing Unordinary around the time John had gotten to his lowest. His dad had even dedicated the book to John. Maybe Valerie was on to something. No, she wasn’t. Maybe he should think about her words more.

It did make more sense than the authorities just taking John away just because. They had to have a reason and usually, the majority won over the minority right? Which meant the authorities' word probably had more weight on it than his dad did. Maybe?

All of this was just so confusing. John couldn’t properly think and all of Valerie’s words were just mushing together, attacking his dad all at once. 

It was starting to get really hard to want to go back to his dad.

________________________________________

John followed his fellow royals as they made their way further and further from the train station. He was half tempted to look longingly at the building as it faded into view, but he thought against it. He had to look like he somewhat wanted to be here after all. It was his ‘duty’ as Val had told him over and over again.

That saying had pretty much summed up the rest of his week. It was just people reminding him that he was an important part of society and that part came with a lot of responsibilities. Responsibilities that John wanted nothing to do with, but he promised Val and Rowen that he would at least try. The teen was improving and it was time to let that progress shine. (Hopefully.) 

He chuckled silently to himself, finally realizing what he had been doing. All of these thoughts were just him trying to cover the massive pit in his stomach. The nerves. The anxiety. John was a complete mess and he was trying to cover it up with dumb thoughts about how he was going to ‘prove something to Val’ because that made complete sense.

In truth, John didn’t want to be there. He didn’t want to be at the turf war and he sure as hell didn’t want to be fighting 3 random students with a power he could only half control. 

The god-tier couldn’t show it though. He couldn’t let the others know that he was nervous. They would think he was crazy. A high-tier would never be nervous to face a bunch of elite-tiers, they would be confident and cocky. John wasn’t even nervous about winning or losing, he was anxious that he was going to kill someone. 

And he really didn’t want to do that.

But he had no choice, so John sucked it up and walked behind the 3 other Agwin students as they headed to what the ravenette thought of as certain doom.

-

The other school was already there when they arrived. There were 4 of them, the royals and the healer, and they looked rather annoyed. Why John had no idea. Maybe they hated this as much as John did. He doubted it.

John saw what looked to be the king stand up and walk toward their group. “Estan right on time as always.” The lavender-haired teen said, his tone snarky.

John heard a scoff and then Estan spoke up. “And you’re 5 minutes early, as usual, Agust. Why do you all look so grouchy though? Afraid you're going to lose?” The king of Agwin stepped up closer to Agust. 

“Hah lose?” The other teen smiled. “You wish. We were simply contemplating how boring this fight was going to be. Maybe we were wrong though.” Agust’s eyes moved over to where John was standing. “I see you finally replaced your jack.”

Estan looked over his shoulder and smirked. “Ah, you mean John. He’s not actually the one replacing Broven.” The king looked back to Agust. “I am. He is replacing me.”

The king of the other school shrunk after hearing that. He quickly regained his composure however and spoke. “Well, that will certainly shake things up. How did you want to do this? One on one or three on three.”

John was also curious as no one had told him what they had decided. The royals had exactly one meeting and all they really discussed was who they would be going up against and meeting times, nothing else. 

The growing smirk on Estan’s face did nothing to comfort him. “One on three.” You have got to be joking. “John vs all of you.”

John should have expected this. Estan was probably still mad about the whole humiliation thing in the courtyard a few weeks back. This was his petty revenge. Plus if John was lying about his god-tier status, it would reveal him as a fake. 

He was so fucked. 

“W-what, you would be setting him up for suicide. Are you sure you want to do that?” Agust also seemed to be in shock. 

The Agwin king crossed his arms and nodded. “I am completely sure.” He then looked back at John for the second time. “You got this, right John?”

I’m going to kill you later.  He tried to put on a calm demeanor and replied. “Yeah.” Nope

After that, the schools split off for a minute to talk strategy. The other school looked like they were actually planning. His school on the other hand was just chatting. They didn’t have to fight, which meant it was all on John to perform well and he was confident that he would be able to beat them. This was far from the ravenette’s first rodeo and he had done a 1 vs 3 for a lot of his reign. He just couldn't afford to go overboard. And that was what John spent his time planning for. He had to figure out backup plans just in case. 

Eventually, his time ran out and it was time for the fight to start.

He stared at the three teens that were across from him. There was Agust who had lavender hair, a dark orange-haired girl, and then a dark purple-haired guy. They were all glaring at him like he had pissed in their coffee and at this point, he would rather do that than be here.

John shook off the looks though and waited for the countdown. He heard Estan speak up. “The Turf War between Agwin and Korvo will now begin. Royals please take your positions! Whichever team knocks out the opponent’s lineup will be victorious!” 

The Agwin king paused before continuing after a tense moment. “And START!”

It took only a few minutes before all of their team was down for the count. The Korvo Royals were so caught up in their plan, they failed to notice a certain god-tier dashing around with copied abilities. By the time they did notice it was too late, the three were piled up on top of each other and the winner in question was holding his mind back with all of his might.

The Turf War world got reintroduced to a god that day.

And John, well he made it though.

Somehow.

Chapter Text

After the turf war, things changed. Before everyone had feared him, yes, but it wasn’t anything like this. The stares had died down after the first week and he could almost pretend everything was normal. It wasn’t all that difficult to ignore a few comments from a small crowd. When it was everyone talking behind his back and not just a select few, it became a lot harder to ignore. It was near impossible and texting Arlo was only helping so much. 

The whispers were all because of that stupid article on the front page of the school newspaper. Some genius decided to interview a royal and get a “behind the scenes” of what happened at the turf war that day. Of course, the royal went all out with the detail, covering the entire fight and the conversations that occurred. They went in depth about how “powerful” and “scary” he was. John half expected them to call him a monster, but thankfully that name was spared from the post. Still, the number of descriptive words used to basically just call John terrifying was enough to get the entire school talking about it.

It didn’t help that the article included comments that questioned why he wasn’t the king yet. It’s not even any of their business. It just pissed John off. A lot. Now the whole school avoided touching him like the plague yet watched him like he was some god. He couldn’t even eat lunch in peace anymore with the entire cafeteria loudly talking shit about him, as if he couldn't send them all to the ICU in a matter of minutes. He almost moved up to the roof when this had all started. Maybe there he could get some peace. The teen didn’t though. There was a certain thing stopping him.

Looking at Rein, his train of thought drifted off. After their first interaction, some type of wall had broken, not enough to start full-blown chats, but during the past week, the two had shared bits of small talk to cover the stares and gossip. It made everything a tad more bearable. 

He caught her gaze as she opened her mouth. “Hey uh, John?” 

“Yeah?” 

She looked back down at her food, nervous, “Um, my friend, Broven, wanted to know if you were free to hang out later. Ever since he found out that we sat together at lunch, he’s been bugging me to ask you,” She said, almost hesitantly.

No matter how friendly she seemed, John knew she was afraid of him too. “Sorry, I have tutoring after school.” He replied. And it was something John was unwilling to give up, no matter how much he said he hated it.

Rein paused for a moment and typed something on her phone. They sat in silence as she stared at something on the device. A buzz then rang out and she spoke. “Can we join you in tutoring?”

“You guys want to sit in for 2 hours of extra learning.” He said it in a sarcastic tone, not believing either of them wanted to hang out with him that badly. Who would when he was being watched like a hawk.

Rein grimaced for a second, and looked down at her phone one more time before replying. “Definitely. We could use the time to catch up on homework.” 

Strange. John thought for a moment, debating on if he should trust them enough to let them join in on his afternoon studies. “I guess? If you really want to.” He just hoped his teacher was okay with it. She was pretty chill though so it should be fine.

Rein’s eyes lit up for a split second. “Great! In that case, can I get your uh,” She stopped talking again only to continue not a second later. “Your number?”

Ah, so that is what she was asking for 2 weeks ago. How funny. “Yeah sure,” He pulled up his contact and handed it over. “You can just copy this.” 

“Ah, nice. And thanks for doing this. Broven really has been pulling my ear about it. He just thinks you're really cool and wants to be friends. I know he hopes to be the king someday so you being here kind of inspires him.” She said this with a sort of happiness about her that John had yet to really experience much. 

Was this what having actual friends was like? “Of course, I need more people to hang out with anyway so it works out.” That did bring up the question as to why Broven looked up to him in the first place. Most lower tiers really hated god-tiers. They viewed them as selfish and egotistical. John would know best as he had been a part of one of those loathing powerless tiers. It would be nice to finally have people to talk to though.

What happened to his original plan of being alone forever? 

-

John was walking to his last period when he heard the whispers again. 

Look at how he walks. His hair is such a mess. Can you believe he’s a god-tier? Imagine being able to take out an entire turf war team. Why isn’t he king yet? He is setting such a bad example for others. God, look how egotistical he is just because he is powerful. 

The students were gossiping, chatting about him as if he wasn’t walking down the hall. They were quiet, hard to hear for anyone who was distracted. John wasn’t distracted though. He was hypervigilant. He could hear everything. All of the insults, questions, and critiques. He listened as they spoke of things they had no business knowing. 

And all he wanted to do was tell them to shut up. He wanted to revert back to New Boston. He wanted to break in their skulls and tear off their tongues. He wanted to send them all to the nearest hospital, have them learn how extreme pain feels. Maybe when they experience a fight of their own then they would learn to mind their own business. 

John had to hold himself back though. He couldn’t lash out. Wouldn’t. He had things on the line and he wasn’t going to let a pitiful fight ruin that. It had only been a month, but he had made so much progress. He had improved so much. He refused to let it all tumble down just because he was being pathetic. 

He just had to listen to Val. She had given the teen so much advice, way more than his dad ever did. John just needed to put it into practice. He had to listen and then act. There was going to be no more, as Val put it, heart-led actions. He had to follow his brain, not the rage in his chest. He could do this. 

He just had to block it all out. All of the whispers, comments, everything.

Why did everything have to include his dad?

-

Surprisingly the tutoring went well. Rein and Broven had showed up at the library soon after him and all three walked in together. His teacher was already there so John said hello and then explained the situation. After, they all started to work on schoolwork. His classmates were quiet except for the occasional chatter and it was nice.

Even if they weren’t really participating in the tutoring, it felt like John had some type of moral support. He knew the only reason they stayed was so they could all hang out afterward, but the fact that the pair decided to sit through his lessons, it made John feel warm inside.

Eventually, the 2 hours were over and all three teens headed out for some boba. Neither Rein nor Broven had tried it and John was craving a sweet treat so here they were, walking down the street with drinks in their hands.

John hadn’t really chatted too much, preferring to leave the talking to Rein and Broven, or well mainly Broven. That guy apparently really liked to talk. As soon as they left the school, he started chatting up a storm. The red-haired teen mentioned different stories he had and then moved on to his new favorite shows and artists. He even asked Rein and John for their opinions. 

It was really nice. That feeling he had when hanging out with Arlo for the first time came back. John had felt at ease. He didn’t feel stressed about anything, and he didn’t feel like he was going to vomit, John just felt relaxed, calm. He was secretly hoping this would become a normal thing because he could very easily get used to it. 

With how Rein was talking, John was nervous that Broven was just going to be asking about his ability and probing into his personal business, but the other teen hadn’t brought it up once. He just chatted about other things, normal things. Things that didn’t involve power and violence and the hierarchy. 

And god it was so fucking incredible.

It made all of the other conversations he had even more depressing. 

“Yo John, any opinions on Silver Servant?”

He turned to see Broven looking at him. He paused on his boba and replied. “It was pretty good. I didn’t make it all the way through, but I heard bad things about the second season, so maybe that’s for the best.” 

Silver Servant was a semi-popular anime that popped up a few years ago. It wasn’t really John’s personal tastes, demon servants weren’t exactly his favorite. 

Broven nodded. “Yeah, they went off the manga which, like most anime, was their downfall.” He wiped a fake tear. “What a travesty, it had so much potential.”

All of them shared a laugh and then fell into the first bout of silence since they left Agwin. John looked down at his mango boba and smiled. Is this what other kids his age do for fun? Because if it is, he could understand why they look so carefree. He would too if this was all he had to deal with in life.

John looked over at Rein and Broven who were watching the sky. Would it be awkward if he started up the conversation again? He didn’t mind the silence, the mindless chatter just filled the empty air better. 

“So, uh, how’s school going?” Why was he so awkward all the time? He could have sworn he wasn’t this bad with Claire and Adrion.

Broven spoke up first. “It’s been pretty good. Though that last history test totally kicked my ass.” He dropped his head back and closed his eyes. “I even studied for that one.” 

Rein was next. “You’re telling me. Why do they always have to make them so hard?” 

“Who knows?” John grumbled. 

“Hey John, speaking of school.” Broven looked back at John. “Are you going to shoot for king at all?”

And there it was. He really should have expected this. It was borderline impossible to go any length of conversation without bringing up the hierarchy at least once. He was also the one to mention school. “I don’t know, maybe next year. I missed a bunch of school for something so now I have to catch up on a bunch of stuff so I can graduate on time.” 

Broven hummed. “That sucks. You know, why don’t the three of us become royals next year!” 

Rein shoved the jack playfully. “Dude, that’s impossible. You and John could totally go for it, but I am only a 3.2. There is no possible way I could surpass Brin. Isn’t she more powerful than Estan?” Her voice came off as annoyed.

“Yeah well, I bet John could help.” Broven gave his best puppy dog eyes. “Right John? You got your ability to god-tier level. There has to be some secret to getting it so high.”

John pushed away slightly. The secret is having someone who knows the future. “I just trained really hard, you know, got really in tune with my ability.” 

Rein gestured. “See, I’m doomed to stay mid-tier.” 

“Oh come on, you’re not totally a lost cause.” Broven patted her shoulder. “You just gotta hit the gym sometimes. Work out those spider legs of yours.” He smiled jokingly.

Rein rolled her eyes. “Yeah, because that will help.” She sighed and went back to drinking her boba.

John looked at the two of them and wondered how they became friends. They seem like total opposites. Actually, that is probably why. Opposites attract after all. The hopeful and the hopeless. A pair to the bitter end. John wondered if he would ever fit into their group. 

Maybe one day. 

________________________________________

It was only around 7 when John finally got home. His boba had been finished a long time ago, but he never let go of the cup, too distracted with the discussions that the three classmates shared. They moved on from school quickly and moved back into different shows and movies that had come out. They all joked around and explored more of the city. Sadly John did have to depart for dinner, as Val wanted him home, but it was nice while it lasted.

“John, Welcome home.” He looked to see Val sticking her head out of the kitchen.

He waved. “Thanks.” John kneeled down and started taking off his shoes. When he was done, he made his way to where Val was cooking in the kitchen. 

She looked over at him as he entered. “Have you eaten anything yet?”

He shook his head. “No, we just had boba.” 

Val hummed. “Good. In that case, you do mind setting the table. We’re having meatloaf for dinner.” He watched as she pulled said dish out of the oven.

“Of course.” He walked over to the cabinet where the dishes were held and grabbed what he needed. He made his way to the dining room, like he did every night, and set the plates and silverware down. It had become a sort of ritual the two of them developed over the months. While Val made the food, John set the table. When he was finished, he just sat down and waited.

It didn’t take long before Val joined him with two plates full of food and the two of them dug in. As usual, the food was incredible. John didn’t know what his guardian put in her cooking but it was some of the best food he had ever tasted. He hoped that she might teach him one day because if he could eat like this forever, he would be in bliss.

“How was your time out on the town?”

John paused his eating and answered. “It was nice. Other than Arlo, I haven’t really been able to talk to anyone my age.” He had even been added to a group chat with the two. No one has talked yet, but it was something.

Val nodded. “That’s good. What were their names again?” 

“Rein and Broven. Broven is the jack of Agwin actually.” John still wasn’t sure as to what his ability was though. No one ever brought it up.

“And Rein?” 

John got confused by her question. What about Rein? “Uh, she’s a mid-tier? Broven wants her to try for Queen, but-”

“But she doesn’t think she can do it?” Val continued his statement.

John took a bit of his meatloaf before speaking. “Yup. Broven actually wants all of us to be royals next year. He says that we could be really powerful together.” John thought that would be really cool. He was never friends with the royals from New Bostin.

“That sure is optimistic.” 

“I guess?” He shrugged. They were only in their second year so it wasn’t all that unrealistic for their levels to go up a decent amount. 

Val looked at him with a serious gaze. “Just make sure you're careful John.” 

Careful? “What do you mean?” 

“Sometimes people don't have the best intentions. Especially mid-tiers and elite-tiers. I don’t want you to get hurt because you got too invested in this friendship.” She had set her fork down as she said this. Val was being completely serious.

Which was ridiculous. Claire using him was a one-time thing, he was sure. There was no way that Broven and Rein were going to go behind his back and use him. They were good. “I’ll be fine. Both are really nice and what would Broven gain from it anyway? He’s already the Jack.”

“I just want you to be aware.” She smiled at him and then continued. “So are you ready for the turf wars coming up?”

John groaned. “No, I heard Wellston has a god-tier on their team, and it’s a mental ability.” He shoved a piece of food into his mouth out of frustration. 

Val let out a small chuckle. “I never understood why you struggled so much to copy mental abilities. Especially now that Rowen is training you.” 

“The auras of mental abilities are a lot more complex so it's harder to mimic them. Plus I never researched them as much as I did physical powers.” He found that most people had physical abilities and at the time thought that was enough. He also wasn’t friends with anyone who had a mental ability. Well someone who could control their mental power. 

His guardian responded. “Well, then why don’t you start researching. Rowen would gladly help as well.”

Her advice was simple in words, but in actuality, it was much more difficult to execute. There wasn’t too much research about mental abilities and he didn’t know anyone personally that had one. “I guess, but I still need to practice with someone who has mental powers. Research is useless if I can’t apply it to anything.”

Val thought for a minute. “You have a point there. I guess I could ask Rowen if he knew anybody with a mental ability. For now though, just start researching. You did say you would win all of the turf wars. Plus Arlo is also on that team, so you have to be prepared.”

He took another chunk out of his loaf and stared at the table. The solution to all of his problems could not be as simple as looking it up.

It just couldn’t be.

________________________________________

John was positive that Val had been wrong about his new friends betraying him. It had been a month and neither had even asked about his ability. Neither had mentioned the 3 turf war fights that he had single-handedly won or had asked John to even put them on the team. 

Maybe it was too soon to tell. It had only been a month, but there was something about them that gave John hope. He was sure Rein and Broven were good.

And no matter how much John told Arlo this, the blonde teen still refused to meet them. Arlo just kept saying that non-high-tiers couldn’t be trusted. John did see where he was coming from. It was common for people to try and use higher tiers as a way to be safe. 

His friends weren’t like that though. They didn’t need protection. His blonde friend didn’t care though. He ignored any potential they had and just looked at their rankings at face value. So John sucked it up and just hung out with his friends separately.

He didn’t mention to Arlo how he was afraid to bring up abilities with Rein and Broven, scared that they would start using him.

John had also been hanging out with Arlo a lot more. The other high-tier was John’s go-to for discussing anything hierarchy or ability related. The blonde had all of this knowledge just sitting there waiting to be used. The two of them discussed the recent turf wars as well. Wellston’s team wasn’t fighting as many schools as Agwin, but it was enough to give them a good conversation.

They made a pact not to talk about the upcoming turf war between their two schools though. Neither wanted to spoil the fight and give the other an upper hand. They also decided to keep their relations a secret from the other royals. It would have made things awkward between the teams and had the chance of causing suspicion on whether they were cheating. 

He could talk about it to Val if he really wanted to and he did. A lot. John had taken her advice about researching mental abilities and it didn’t make a huge difference in his ability, it helped the teen understand them fundamentally. So when it came time for Rowen’s friend to come around, it wasn’t too hard for John to adapt to the mental ability. After a good two sessions, John had the mental ability down and could copy it with ease. Rowen had also given a lot of good tips and helped in explaining more about mental abilities and how they functioned.

John wasn’t sure if he could copy them as quickly as physical powers, but he definitely should have more of a chance against the god-tier on the other team.

He sighed and then looked down at the essay he was supposed to be working on. His writing skills have improved. It was mainly due to the extra help he was getting. His tutor was not only helping John catch up for the year, but she had also been teaching him fundamentals in a way that he understood. Her teaching had helped him tremendously in school and it showed in his higher grades.

To him though, all that his improvement did was prove that Val was a much better parent than his father ever was. He still appreciated his father and all that the man had done, but it was hard to call him great when after only two months, John had improved so drastically. 

The authorities were completely right when taking him away. He had friends now, good grades, and a decent future ahead of him. Val had helped him change for the better and he couldn’t be more grateful.

John had hope for the first time in a while.

Chapter Text

Crack

She hit his barrier again and this time it didn’t hold up all the way. Shit. He needed to focus. What could she be hiding?

For the past 5 minutes, John had been fighting Seraphina. He had already beaten Cecile and Arlo and she was the last one left. It was anyone's game as Brin and Estan were also down. The two god-tiers were left as the only ones standing and now they were giving it all they had. 

It was essentially an immovable object vs an unstoppable force. John’s amped vines and barrier vs Seraphina’s time manipulation. If Arlo was just a bit more powerful, John would’ve had this in the bag, but the blonde hasn’t reached god-tier level yet. That meant John was playing heavily on the defensive. He knew he could change the tides though. All he had to do was copy Seraphina’s ability and he would be set. 

And that is where the issue arose. John needed to know all of a mental ability’s capabilities before he could copy it. The problem was that Seraphina was holding something back. He had seen her speed up time and had seen her reverse it, but she never once stopped it. He guessed she never had a reason to as John was inside of a barrier. There was no point in freezing him when she couldn’t even reach him.

Which meant John had to risk releasing his barrier if he ever wanted her to use her last power. It had a big probability of going wrong, but he didn’t have a choice at this point. He couldn’t even hold his barrier for much longer as she was getting close to cracking it and if Seraphina managed to do that, it was over for him.

He just had to be careful. The teen turned to face Seraphina and the two stared at each other for a minute. She gave him a glare and went for his barrier once more. 

This was it.

He carefully timed it.

And as her fist landed on his barrier, he deactivated it. She reeled away for only a second before quickly starting to freeze him in place.

He smirked. Gotcha.

He copied her ability and by the time she knew what had happened, he was behind her with a fist of his own going for her head. 

“Stop. There is no point in continuing. The win goes to Agwin.” 

The two god-tiers whipped their heads over to see Arlo. John immediately backed up from Seraphina. Their eyes met. “Uh, good fight. You made me worried there for a second.” He let out a small laugh, a bad attempt to break the thick ice.

She glared at him. “What level are you?” Her voice was cold.

John gave her a weird look before responding. “Last time I checked it was a 7.4. Why?”

Instead of answering her question, Seraphina rolled her eyes. “Of course you are.” She mumbled before walking away.

What’s her problem? John watched her make her way to her team before sighing. Whatever. She was probably just mad that she had lost. Most god-tiers rarely lose so they develop a sort of ego and then when they do eventually lose, that loss can hit pretty hard. John would know as that is exactly what happened during his New Bostin reign. 

He turned his attention to his team and saw them making their way to the train. Realizing he was about to be left behind, John started to run, trying to catch up to the assholes.

-

He had never wished to be left behind more than he did today. Estan, Brin and the healer were loudly chatting about how amazing and great they were for beating Wellston, right in front of John. They were acting like he hadn’t single-handedly wiped out the opposing turf war team.

Both the jack and the queen got almost KOed by Cecile alone. The only reason they were awake right now was because John called them back, not that either of them were very happy about it. John was just shocked that they even tried to fight the Wellston royals. Agwin might be the second-ranking high school around, but that does not mean they were anywhere close to Wellston's level. 

That was the reason John was even allowed to attend Agwin. They needed him to boost their turf war scores before the end of the school year. 

It made sitting next to them and having to listen to their bs, all the more annoying. The only reason they were even ignoring him was because they were afraid. It wasn’t hard to feel the fear. John had felt it before, but after almost knocking out the two-star students of Wellston, his team’s dread tripled. 

At this point, John wasn’t even bothered. He was so used to the whispers and fear that it barely affected him anymore. It was just really fucking annoying.

He just tried to think about the lunch Val promised him and the plans he had with Arlo, Rein, and Broven. With them, he could actually talk and not be shoved into the quiet corner. Plus with Val and Arlo, the teen could talk strategies with them and have in-depth conversations. 

Not shallow gossip about how much of a monster John was.

He took a breath before going on his phone and loading up a random mobile game.

________________________________________

“You know next time, you should enact your plan before you are on the verge of losing.” Val looked at him amused.

They were eating out for lunch and John had just finished telling her all that had happened at the turf war. “Ya, I know.” He smirked. “At least I am a better planner than those elite-tiers. Seriously how did they get so far with those lousy skills.” 

She chuckled. “Well, you know them, they settle. They think they aren't going to get any better, so they just stick to what they know.”

“Still though, Both Brin and Estan failed to defeat Cecile. She wasn’t even that much more powerful than them. Brin could have weakened her significantly and then all Estan would have to do was finish her off. It was just so frustrating to watch.” He popped a fry into his mouth aggressively.

“You know not everyone is as smart as you.” Val paused before her smile fell. “Speaking of how crapping the Agwin Royals are, John, you won’t be fighting with them next year.”

John gave her a confused look. “What do you mean?” Broven, Rein, and John did plan to take over the royals, but that was going to take at least a year.

“I am enrolling you in Wellston for your third year.” 

“What? Why?” What was wrong with Agwin? Yeah, maybe there were a bunch of low-tiers and mid-tiers, but he had friends. John couldn’t just abandon them now.

She gave him that look. “John, I think we both know you are too good for Agwin. Plus at Wellston, you can hang out with people that are just as powerful as you are.” 

Of course, he knew what she was getting at, but- “What about my friends?”

“Did you forget, Arlo also attends Wellston? And your current friends are just mid-tiers. John, you said it yourself, the lower tiers just settle. They don't make it anywhere, but you can.” She replied with worry.

He shoved another fry into his mouth. “I can get them somewhere.” He looked up at Val. “They aren’t like the rest, they have me.” And he had them. They were going places, John could feel it. He enjoyed their company and his friends made him want to try. He couldn’t just abandon them. He promised.

“John, you are going to Wellston and that's final. You don’t even have to break off your friendships. All that will happen is that you won't be attending Agwin.”

He looked down dejectedly at his fries. But the promise. “Okay.”

Val sighed. “Look, I know you want to stay with your friends, but you have to understand I am doing this for you.” She grabbed onto his hands. “You have made so much progress in the past 5 months and I would hate to see that all go away just because of a few elite-tiers. Sometimes you need to let go of dead weight in order to thrive.”

All he could think about was the future that he could have had with Broven and Rein. All he could imagine was them standing triumph over a fallen team of Royals.

“Think of New Bostin and how your dad held you back. Yes, you were sad at first, but now look at you. John, you have made so much progress. You just single handly won 4 different turf wars and didn’t lose control a single time.” 

He thought about it and she was right. He had made it so far. But-

“Now think about today and your teammates. Remember how they were little to no help. The two of them got knocked out in the first round. That is exactly how it will be if you stick with Agwin. You will always be the one doing all of the work. You might win, but it will never feel good. You will continue to get more and more annoyed until you start to revert. John, look at me.”

His hands were shaking as he lifted his head up.

“I refuse to watch you revert back to how you were 5 months ago. That is why I am putting you in Wellston. In that school, you will thrive. You and Arlo and Seraphina can rule together and celebrate victories as a team. Not as a one-man army.” She stopped talking.

He gently took his hands out of hers and stared at them for a moment. No matter how much he wanted to argue, she was right. Of course, she was, Val is always right. No matter how powerful Broven and Rein got, they would never reach John’s level. It would turn into John having to power through all of the turf wars alone. With how annoyed he was today, the teen couldn’t imagine him liking that turnout. 

He sighed. It's not like the three of them couldn’t still be friends, they just couldn’t fight on the same team and at the end of the day, John could live with that. It’s not like they talked much in school anyway.

He finally looked back up at Val, at his guardian, at the one who saved him. “You're right. I can’t go back to how it was. Not after everything that has happened.”

She smiled.

He popped another fry, now cold, into his mouth and smiled back.

He was so glad that she took him away from his sorry excuse of a parent. He couldn’t imagine what would have happened otherwise.

________________________________________

Arlo, Broven, Rein, and John had been walking for a good few minutes. The group had met up at Wooba Boba and chatted for a good 2 hours before deciding to head home. It had been a nice day as school had finally ended. John also got to finally introduce Arlo to the other two.

Originally he told John that there was no way in hell he was meeting people of Agwin. Arlo’s experiences with them had been quite negative. The two had set a bet however that if John beat them at the turf war, the blonde would have to meet his other friends. So here they all were having a grand time.

Well, grand was a bit of an overstatement at the moment. Arlo kept shoving John, signaling that John had to tell the other two that he wasn’t going to be attending Agwin next year. The ravenette was supposed to have told them a good week ago, but every time the opportunity came up, he chickened out. This walk home was his last chance. It was now or never. 

After one last shove from a certain annoying blonde, John spoke up. “Hey uh-” He paused for a moment before continuing. “I won't be attending Agwin next year.”

Silence followed his words.

He looked at his two friends who were staring, shocked. “Um, I know we promis-”

Laugher interrupted him. “John, I almost thought you were serious for a second. You, going to a different school?” Broven laughed again. “What, were you going to tell us you were going to attend Wellston? Please, that school is for stuck-up pricks.”

He felt Arlo tense beside him. “What is that supposed to mean?” Arlo said with anger coating his words.

The red-headed elite-tier faced Arlo. “Exactly what I just said. I’ve been to turf wars with your kind, and all of you are stuck-up assholes who think they're better than everyone else.” 

Arlo scoffed. “That’s because we can’t stand how terrible you all are. Seriously you guys think your top shit yet you can’t even beat someone less powerful than you.” The blonde smirked. “I mean come on. The only reason you guys even won against my team was because of John. The other two didn’t even lay a scratch on our jack. How pathetic is that.”

John looked between the two of them. Shit. He hadn’t meant to start an argument. At least not as quickly. He turned to Rein to see what she was thinking, but she was looking just as pissed as the other two. This was not going well. It’s going to get even worse when Broven finds out that the school he is transferring to is the stuck-up prep school. Oops.

Broven grabbed his arm. “See John, why would you even want to joke about joining Wellston. It is obviously filled with egotistical assholes.” 

Arlo grabbed his other arm. “Well, then I guess it was a good thing he wasn’t joking.” He turned to look at the god-tier. “Right John?”

At this point, all three of his friends were looking at John. He had fucked this up in less than a sentence. He looked down before replying. “Yes, actually. Valerie thinks I will improve more in Wellston.” His voice was quiet. He was trying to not set Broven off more. Who knew his red-headed friend had it out for the other school.

“Why? What about our promise?” Broven looked confused and hurt.

This conversation was progressing way too fast. “Yes I know and you guys can still achieve it, just without me. A-and I can help you guys out with leveling. I got here somehow right.” He laughed awkwardly. 

Broven let go of his hand harshly. “John you promised. We were all supposed to join the royals and take over Wellston’s spot.” 

“Yes, and I’m sorry, bu-”

“And now you’re joining them! You know I thought you were different from the rest of the high-tiers. I thought you were nice and understanding. I guess not.” Broven scoffed.

Did he actually just say that?   “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

The other teen rolled his eyes. “And you guys call us stupid. No wonder you and Arlo are friends. Come on Rein, let's go. Obviously, these stuck-up high-tiers have better things to do than to hang out with us.” He grabbed the girl’s hand and started to walk off. 

“What the hell is wrong with you? I literally just said I was switching schools. Why is that such a big deal?!” John yelled.

He didn’t get a response.

John felt a hand on his shoulder as the two teens sat and watched Broven and Rein walk away. What had he done? What had he done to deserve this? All he had said was that he was switching schools and nothing else. He barely got a word in. Why? Why why why whywhy why why why why why whywhyhwhyhwhyhwhyhwhyhwhyhwhyh-

“This is what me and Aunt Val tried to warn you about.” Arlo’s quiet voice cut through his thoughts. 

There was a moment of silence before John responded. “Oh.” He had thought they would be different.

“Elite-tiers just can’t be trusted. Especially ones from Agwin. They are all self-centered and only focus on what they want, not what's good for everyone. That is why Agwin is second.” 

As the two sat there for another moment, John finally understood. He finally realized why the authorities took him away, why Valerie made him transfer, and why Arlo hated his friends from the start. Lower tiers just don’t understand and they never will. They will just take and take and take until all there’s left is a crazed high-tier with no purpose. Maybe that’s why he only felt truly free around Arlo and Val. He knew they would understand what he was going through. He could talk to them and they wouldn’t judge him.

John turned to Arlo. “Let’s go home. I’m sure Val is cooking up something great.” He turned around and started heading home.

Arlo was quick to join.

________________________________________

2 months had passed since that fateful day and John and Arlo were on their way to Wellston. Val had offered to drive them and neither was going to say no to a free ride. It was a very peaceful ride with all three passengers thinking about completely different things.

John was currently thinking about the last few months. After Broven had left in a fitful rage, John blocked him and Rein. He blocked all other classmates from Agwin as well. He wasn’t going back to that school so what was the point in holding on to their numbers. 

Arlo and him had also gotten a lot closer. Since John didn’t have a bunch of dumb numbers clogging his contacts, he was able to talk to the people he actually wanted to. They regularly went out for drinks and trained together. It helped both teens get better and better with their abilities. 

Now John was on his way to Wellston and he couldn’t have been happier. He had a legitimate friend, a parent who actually cared, and a future. He could actually imagine himself having a decent future with a stable job and a home. 

For the first in a long while, John didn’t feel like a monster. He didn’t feel like a power-hungry high-tier. 

He felt in control.

And it felt good.

“-ohn, what do you want to do after you graduate?” 

John looked up after he heard his name. Val was asking them questions it seemed. It was a good thing he had an answer. “I think joining the authorities would be cool. It would put my skills to good use.” He thought of it as giving back to the people who saved him from a bad situation.

He saw a smile on Val’s face. “Just like Arlo, I see. I think you two are going to make great high-tiers.” 

John looked over at Arlo who had his classic resting bitch smirk on and spoke up. “Yeah I think we will, but only if Arlo catches up to me.”

Arlo whipped his head over to John, offended. “Oh, you are going to regret saying that when we get out of this car.”

John laughed it off. “Val, Arlo’s threatening me again.” 

“You bet your ass I am.”

Val shook her head in disappointment. “I take back my previous statement. You both would be horrible authority figures.” She giggled.

John laughed. “Hey!”

The three of them continued to banter for the rest of the ride. And when they finally did make it to Wellston, the pair of teens sauntered in, pride radiating off of them. 

They were going to conquer the world and there wasn’t a single person that could stop them.

________________________________________

August 22 XXXX

Audio Recording: Video_Call_Valerie

-Audio Start-

“How is he doing?”

“Incredible. He has made so much progress in the past 7 months. I am honestly shocked by it all.”

“Don’t be. There is a reason you were chosen for this assignment. John was under the care of a very dangerous individual. Who knows what could have happened if we would have left him there.”

“I don’t even want to think about it.”

“Moving on, you said you spoke to him about what he is doing after Wellston?”

“Yes, he said he wanted to join the authorities.”

“Excellent. Just make sure you keep reminding him of all that you and the authorities have done for him. If we keep this up, we might just have another candidate for Ember.”

“I will try. Are you sure that is the wisest decision though? I worry he may not have the stomach for it.”

“Please, that kid was able to beat his classmates half to death. I would be more surprised if he couldn’t.”

“Yes, that does make sense.”

“And even if he didn’t want to, he can be useful in other ways. For example, his relation to Project Jane.”

“Do you mean by collecting his blood?”

“Yes, but also by examining how he can use his ability.”

“Ah, I see Jane is still not cooperating.”

“Unfortunately, no.”

“Well, I will keep you updated more on what’s happening with John. Today is his first day in Wellston, so I am ready to see how that will play out.”

“Alright.”

-Audio End-

________________________________________

46 missed calls from Broven.