After Joker's identity has been uncovered in front of the whole school, Seraphina decides to confront John about the toxicity of their friendship. However, due to severe head injury, he is suffering from temporary amnesia, making him unable to satis...
Ignoring the searing pain and the taste of blood at the back of my throat, I channelled all of my energy into finding Preston's aura. If I could find him, then maybe could attack him somehow. My plan was as stable as a house of cards, but it was my only option.
Nothing.
I clenched my teeth. Auras of mental abilities were different to regular auras; they were less vivid and harder for me to sense. This one was the same. It was hopeless.
As 'I' snapped my leg, I gulped, withholding a cry. This was awful. How do I escape something so stupid?!
Then, I felt an aura. It was Sera's! I closed my eyes, trying to shut muself out of the scene. She seemed to be right next to me, but kind of above me..? Spacial awareness between illusions and reality is messed up.
Biting into my bottom lip, I did my best to remain focused on Sera's aura, even though 'I' broke my other leg.
I could almost feel her presence, like I could reach out and touch her. Then, I felt jeans brush against my fingers. But I didn't move at all! Not in the illusion anyway...
I tried to grasp the fabric, but it, along with Sera, sped away. Her aura was further away now. She seemed to be circling around a particular area.
That could only mean that Preston was there!! I panicked, what if Sera falls for his tricks too?! I can't let her go through something like this!
In reality, I attempted to position my arm to aim. I hoped that I pointed in the right direction. I couldn't be sure. Electricity tickled the tips of my fingers as I released my lighting.
For a moment, the illusion froze and 'I' flinched. I must have hit him. But before I could celebrate, 'I' snapped out of the initial shock and tightly wrapped 'my' hand around my neck.
Relentlessly, my shadow self began to squeeze.
Sera PoV
He forced through.
Leaving Preston on the floor, I returned to John. He wasn't back to normal yet, he was still trapped! How long will he be like that?! What does that criminal's ability do, exactly?!
Stroking the boy's bangs from his face, I noticed the sweat collecting on his temples. His breaths grew shallow and irregular, while his eyes remained clouded by the green mist.
Turning away slightly, I couldn't bare to look at his expression anymore. He looked terrified and there was nothing I could do about it.
"Sky!!" I heard a familiar voice, I saw Remi in the door frame.
"Sorry for getting here so late!" She said, "I had trouble finding this place." Realising that John was still out-of-service, she slowly walked over and asked me what was going on with him.
"He's under that scumbag's influence." I gestured at the man who was sprawled on the floor. "I took him down, with J- Glenn's help actually. He shot lightning at him, despite being in this state! But he's still out..." I hid my face with my hand.
Caressing his warm cheek, I hoped I would comfort him in some way. But, his expression gradually shifted to a pained squint. The tips of his fingers quivered as his hand explored the area, only to rest on my thigh. I grabbed it and squeezed it gently, before kissing his knuckles.
"Guys, Preston is moving!" Isen called through the earpiece.
Instantly, I froze time and turned around. My fury exploded when I saw his smug smirk. He was watching us.
Stalking towards him, I balled my fists and prepared a final blow. This was going to be satisfying. For the fun of it, I unpaused time and watched shock spread over his face, as I knocked him square in the forehead and sent him flying back into the wall.
Crumbling to the tiles, he limply fell to the side. He was out cold. Finally.
Suddenly, I heard desperate gasping from behind me. I turned around and a smile crept across my face, as I watched John sit up and frantically look around. His glance settled on me and his body visibly relaxed, slowly breathing out.
"Glen!" Remi called out, "You're back! How are you feeling."
At first, John looked confused but quickly remembered the codenames. He rolled his eyes, but answered her question, "I'm fine, now that I'm not wreathing in imaginary pain." He shook his head, "Pathetic-"
I cut him off, throwing myself at him and clinging to his neck. He leaned on his arm, falling back under my weight.
"Hey there, stranger." He teased, pecking my cheek.
"Why do you have to be such a danger magnet?" I asked stroking his neck.
Awkwardly, Remi gestured to the knocked-out criminal, "Err... I'm gonna take care of Preston. See ya in a bit...?" She walked over to him and hauled him out of the room.
As she left, John leaned in, "I guess that's just my luck." He said, before pressing his lips against mine.
Sighing, I smiled but broke the sweet kiss. "We're still on duty, we'll continue this afterwards though, ok?"
John pouted his lip, "...Ok..."
"Let's go then." I stood up and assitsted him in doing the same. As we moved to the door, I asked, "What was that illusion like?" The memory the terror on his face resurfaced.
"Honestly, it was nightmarish." He began, "I was fighting a shadow version of myself, but I was easily overpowered. I felt so useless and weak." he shook his head, "That version of me was a monster..."
"You're not like that-"
"I know." He stated. I looked over at him, surprised.
"I know I'm not like that." He repeated, "Because of this illusion, I finally have a point of reference. Because I know that if I had an advantage over him like that, I would have never tormented him the way he did me. He tortured me for the hell of it!" He frowned, "I won't stand for people to compare me to that thing."
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