*WARNING*: This chapter contains mental and physical torture as well as mentions of traumatic experiences. Viewer discretion is advised please!
It was dark...
Where was he...?
Why the hell was it so cold...?
The migraine that awaited the teen as he slowly opened his eyes almost made him want to pass out again. Despite that, he forced his eyes open. Tired champagne stared out into blank darkness as John grew aware of his surroundings.
John gave a small groan when he tugged at his wrists only to find them being held in place by the thick, metallic brace bolted to the furniture.
He was still clamped down to this table...?
Damn...and here he'd thought he'd at least be able to sleep back in his cell.
The guards had taken him back for brief amounts of time, but other than that, he had been stuck to this table.
Guess they got sick and tired of all his fighting and convinced Keon to just let him stay.
It was no skin off anyone's back as long as he was present for when Keon wanted him.
John stared out into the empty room, his thoughts starting to get the best of him.
How long had he been stuck here for now?
He couldn't remember. Time seemed to blend together in a distorted fashion at this strange place.
Everything blurred together from Keon's mind sessions to Marcella's tactics.
The man would constantly replay his fights with the royals, slowly chipping him down. John had started to take on the idea that it was his fault. Though, the idea that Arlo had a huge hand to play in this was still fresh in his mind. But of course, Keon didn't care. It was still John's fault to him.
Honestly, John was glad the cop hadn't gotten to his memories surrounding her yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time.
As for Marcella, John had found out she was a master of interrogation. The teen was constantly asked questions he didn't know the answers to, questions that were bizarre or seemed wildly out of context. But that didn't matter to her. Even though his answers weren't exact, Marcella still seemed to find something of use when asking John about 'UnOrdinary.'
The teen wasn't able to hold back information regarding the book, the woman becoming particularly violent when the subject was brought up.
It was no use holding back so John found himself telling her about the infamous book.
But no matter the cost, he kept the topic away from his dad. Even when the woman asked about the powerless man directly, John refused to answer, causing the woman to snap on him.
He remembered waking up on the floor after that incident. He was in too much pain at the time to feel anything, physically and mentally.
But as time wore on, John found himself slowly dissolving into his inner psyche.
The voices in his mind had started up again, their words playing out in his head when his guard was down.
'Leech...Cripple...Useless...' they would whisper. No matter what he did to drown them out, it was never enough.
John rested his head against his cuffs, unable to hold his head up. He felt the dull ache drain out into a familiar emotion.
He found himself switching between two states quite often; complete numbness and pure rage. There was no in between.
It was like flicking a light switch. One second, he'd feel nothing and the next, he'd feel everything.
This time, John couldn't help the anger that began pulsing through him like poison.
'Why...?' he wondered.
John bit his lip, flinching as he tasted the metallic liquid that had dried to his lips. He wanted to scream, to do something to let this unpleasant emotion free.
But he couldn't.
Instead, all John could do was sit there as his anger ate him away.
'WHY?!'
John violently yanked at his wrists which had now begun to bruise. His anger was practically boiling within him as his thoughts ran wild. 'F*ck you Arlo...! F*ck you and everything you stand for! If it wasn't for you and your obsessive bullsh*t, I wouldn't be stuck here again! You and your lackeys did NOTHING worthwhile when you all had your titles yet you expect me to fix your sh*t the second I'm forced back into a position I don't want?!'
John continued to tug at his restraints. 'I didn't want to be king! I didn't want the stupid throne! So why?! Why does this keep happening?! Why am I always the one who somehow f*cks up even though I did everything everyone else told me to do?!'
Tears glide down his cheeks. His anger ebbed away into another emotion, one he rarely tried to address. 'Why is it whenever I try to fix sh*t, nothing ever works...?'
John tried...he really did try.
He came to Wellston to start over, to be a better person than he was before. He laid low, refrained from using his powers, even tried to help others. It sucked that he got sent to the infirmary on a daily basis, but he would've rather taken that over becoming a monster again.
That's when he met her...
John never knew just how much he could connect with a person.
Meeting Seraphina had been a blessing in disguise. For the first time in years, he was genuinely happy with her.
But what use was all of that now? It didn't matter how close they were or had been.
All she sees him now is this tyrant, this freak.
Just like Claire...
John grit his teeth as memories of the duel braided girl flashed to mind.
He couldn't even begin to describe how much he despised the greenette.
The ravenette loathed her. He hated that he couldn't sleep at night thanks to her.
He couldn't stand how his flashbacks revolved around their final confrontation and how even when people tried to help him, it was always her waiting there for him.
Claire had practically become John's shadow. He would never really take notice of the girl, knowing she was still there, but when he finally did see her, he wanted to run away from it like a confused child.
But no matter how much he ran, no matter where he hid, she was always with him.
With Seraphina, she helped him focus. She helped him realize that he shouldn't be so fixated on something he can't control anymore.
But now that focus was gone. Now, he was being engulfed by his shadows again.
John was snapped from his thoughts as he heard a noise. The door clicked and John hissed in pain upon the room being flooded with light.
The teen narrowed his eyes as he looked up, spotting a familiar figure. The door remained open behind him as he walked over, pulling up a chair across from the teen. "Have a good nap John?"
Johns voice was laced with venom as he spoke. "F*ck off Keon..."
The man narrowed his eyes. "And here I thought you would be in a better mood."
John kept his eyes trained on the man. "What are you here for now? To interrogate me? To torture me?"
The man only huffed, leaning forward as he rested his elbows on his knees. "Neither. I'm just here to talk John."
The ravenette narrowed his eyes. 'Bullsh*t. You're never just here to talk.'
Keon went on. "Even though you don't see eye to eye with us, you're still a valuable asset. I'll admit, my comment about your ability the other day was out of line. You do have a rare gift. The problem is, you don't know how to properly use it."
John clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. "...where are you going with this?"
The cop stood up. "We would like you to help us with some things. Some colleagues of ours need someone with your skill set to help them."
John narrowed his eyes, his tone blunt. "I already told you. No, I won't help you. If you think I'll ever trust you people, you're f*cking wrong."
Keon's face went serious as he leaned towards John. "You don't even know who we are John."
John snapped his head up. "OH SHUT THE HELL UP KEON! I'm not going to help you! Don't think for a second I haven't pieced together who you people are! Between the comments I've heard from the guards and Marcella's interrogation questions... you're working with EMBER, aren't you?"
The cop remained silent as he continued. "You people are nothing but cowards and murderers. I may be messed up, but you people are a hundred times worse than me!"
Keon stared him down. "Even if we are as dangerous as you claim, what makes you any different? You may just be a kid, but what have you done that's any better?"
John flinched and tugged at his wrists as Keon placed a hand on his head, bringing back the painful memories.
"Let's take a look, shall we?"
..................................
John stood over Claire, everyone else around them beaten and bruised. The greenette sat on her knees as she kept her gaze to the ground.
She had been defeated.
Her plan failed.
She tried so desperately to get through to John, but it was all for nothing.
The ravenette smirked, telling her the all too familiar words of how she should've known she could never beat him, how she knew he would rise to the top.
When she glared up at him, John snapped in partial confusion. "Isn't that why you helped me in the first place? So that you could use me to further yourself?"
When she said nothing, John continued. "Well, you succeeded, I played right into your hands. What more could you want?"
Claire remained silent before John's anger rolled over, grabbing the greenette as he screamed in her face, wanting to know why she would do this to him, why she would turn on him like this.
She eventually pushed him away, slapping him across the face.
"TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE BECOME!"
The memory flashed from him standing in front of Claire to glaring down at a defeated blonde king stuck under his foot.
Claire appeared once again.
"YOU'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR REASONS TO HURT!"
The scene faded to John hovering over Juni's unconscious body, bloody and beaten to a pulp.
"YOU'RE SO CONCEITED!"
The teen held Arlo up as he gripped his collar. "For f*cks sake Arlo! I defeated your *ss, didn't I?! That makes me superior to you!"
"YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYONE BUT YOURSELF!"
The ravenette punched Adrion across the face, grabbing his shirt. "Don't you DARE tell me what to do!" Adrion looked at him in shock, surprised that his best friend had just attacked him like this.
"YOU TYRANT!"
He watched as the royals standing around him panicked, trying to figure out a way to defeat him but already knowing they had no chance of beating him.
"YOU HYPOCRITE!"
John was standing beside Seraphina as he leaned back against the couch, telling her how the book she held in her hands helped showed people that everyone has something of value.
"ALL THIS STRENGTH YOU HAVE NOW...YOU DON'T DESERVE ANY OF IT!"
The teen peered down at Zeke who was hunched over on the ground, cowering and begging before John to be let go.
"I NEVER SHOULD HAVE HELPED YOU!"
John looked over as he sat nestled between Claire and Adrion, going through book after book on abilities.
"I WISH I'D NEVER MET YOU!"
Claire knelt before him, a warm smile on her face. "Here, let me help you." Holding her hand out to the defeated teen, John looked up at her with curiosity, a bubble of warmth flooding him as he took her hand and stood back on his feet.
John yelled out, feeling tears stream down his face. "SHUT UP!"
Claire glared at him, tears also running down her face. "MAKE ME! GO AHEAD AND BEAT ME UP LIKE YOU DO WITH EVERYONE ELSE!"
John grabbed her collar, arm reeled back. "I SAID: SHUT THE F*CK UP!"
Both teens stared at each other, refusing to back down.
Hate coursed through the two of them as John brought down his final blow upon her.
But hers would scar him for the rest of his life.
"Monster."
.......................................
Johns head fell down as the cop let go, watching as the teen tried to hide his face.
The ravenette had tears in his eyes, trying to hold himself back from crying.
Keon leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms. "Now...tell me, what makes you so different from us?"
John said nothing, keeping his head down.
Seeing those memories again...it was like reopening a scar. John thought he could just forget about it and move on. But, Keon insisted on driving that knife in and making sure it hurt.
The man sighed as he nodded before standing up. "That's what I thought. You know John, unlike you, we don't just go around targeting whoever we want. We're at least civil in that stance. You however, go after whoever gets in your way without a care. You attack them when they disagree with you and brutalize them over the smallest of things."
John peered up slightly, his voice cracking a bit. "You people are exactly the same...you kill 'superheros' or rather vigilantes. They're people who get in your way yet you murder them...unlike you, I don't kill people to further myself...!"
Keon snapped his head over and lifted John's head up, earning a wince of pain from him. "You know damn well why we do it! They're a nuisance to society! All they do is cause havock wherever they go. We're doing the world a favor by taking care of them."
John stared at him, his voice seething as he talked through gritted teeth. "A favor?! All you've done is torture and kill people!"
Keon rolled his eyes. "Well, we don't make people suffer. At least we make their deaths quick."
The teen only gave a hallow chuckle, his tone empty. "Letting them rot out in side streets, torn to bits and branded like livestock? Sure...because that's what you call 'quick and painless.'" Keon narrowed his eyes as he punched the teen. John groaned as his face flared up with pain. He forced his eyes back open as he looked to the cop.
"Shut up you stupid brat! Have you learned nothing?! Unlike you, we don't go looking for reasons to hurt people. We do this to protect others, to give them a better life." Keon narrowed his eyes as John looked back at him.
Johns eyes held nothing within them as he stared at the man in front of him. "So...your version of protecting others...is by killing people? People who just want to help...? People who see flaws in this stupid system...? People who have taken matters into their own hands because you couldn't give two sh*ts about them...? Yeah, seems like you guys really care."
The cops eyes went wide before he reeled back his fist and punched the teen once more. John yelped as he slumped back down, his head resting on the table. He looked up through his tangled hair at the man, not caring if he was punched again.
John knew he was no saint. He knew he was a monster.
But he wasn't going to listen to Keon preach to him when he and his co-workers were going out and murdering high tiers on the streets.
John stared at the man with dulled eyes as Keon leaned down. "Like you care about anyone John? Need I remind you of someone who lost everything because of you?"
The teens eyes went wide as Keon gripped his head again.
John could do nothing as the man's eyes flickered to life again, his aura pulsing around him.
"Or would you rather I show you?"
John squeezed his eyes shut as the memories flickered to life.
.................................
John leaned against the couch as he looked over, his friend looking at the cover of the book. "Ah! Your dad is the infamous W. H. Doe!"
The ravenette raised an eyebrow. "Yeah...? I wouldn't call him 'infamous' though..."
The scene seemed to flicker slightly as John stood up straight, crossing his arms. "They're not delusional." The magenta haired girl raised an eyebrow as she let him speak.
"The reason why all these people are stepping up is because they've realized the message this book delivers." The girls eyebrows went up as John closed his eyes.
"Our world is flawed Sera. We should be using our powers to bring peace and balance." John opened his eyes as the scene flickered again.
Seraphina smirked slightly. "You're starting to sound like those vigilantes."
The ravenette sighed. "Ah, nevermind. It's probably best if you just read it for yourself."
Seraphina looked over as a small smile pulled at the corners of her lips. "Guess I'll be borrowing this then."
..................
John rushed outside as he saw the magenta haired girl standing by the gate, her luggage packed neatly next to her.
"Sera!" He grew confused when he saw her suitcase in her hand. "What's the luggage for?"
The girl sighed, fixing a loose strand of her extension. "I have a flight home in two hours. Elaine ratted me out after all. They decided to send me home for a month."
John felt his jaw drop. "What?! That's insane!"
All of a sudden, the image flicked and John was now holding the girl by her shoulders. "Sera! Stop talking about it like it's nothing! What if you had been found out? Your punishment would've been so severe, not even your reputation or the headmaster would've saved you." John sighed, his shoulders drooping a bit.
"You should've just told them the truth...that the book was mine to begin with." He looked back at the girl, guilt running through his mind.
"This whole thing started because of me..."
..................
The ravenette huffed as he walked up to his apartment door, ready to help Seraphina move back into the dorms.
His hand hand hovered over the handle, freezing at the sight of crimson staining the metal.
He raised an eyebrow as he pushed open the door, walking in. "Hey Sera, I'm back-"
The ravenette froze as he took notice of the figure laying on the floor. Time seemed to freeze as he stood in shock, taking notice of her collapsed frame on the floor, knife and phone in hand.
"Se-" He felt his voice crack as his shock wore off, terror running through him.
"SERA?!"
..................
John knelt next to the girl who now stared at the alarm clock in her hands as if it had just grown legs and tried to walk.
Her hands shook as the device continued to blink. "I...I can't activate my ability...!"
Johns eyes went wide in shock. "What?!"
Seraphina shook her head. "I've been trying this whole time and nothing...!" She dropped the alarm clock on the floor. "What am I supposed to-?!"
John stopped her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down. It's going to be ok."
..................
Seraphina sat on the cot as John took the seat in front of her.
He immediately stood up when he saw the tears in her eyes, threatening to spill over. "Sera? No...please don't...it'll be back soon. It just needs more time."
The scene violently flickered as Sera now looked up at John.
"HOW LONG THEN?!" Tears flooded down her face as she looked at John, wanting nothing more than the answers she was looking for.
"How much longer am I supposed to wait?! Months?! Years?! You know, every night I go to sleep, thinking about waking up with my ability back, about things returning to the way they were!" Tears streamed down her face as John practically saw her heart break.
"And every morning, I wake up with my hopes crushed over and over again!"
John stood there in stunned shock, not knowing what to do.
..................
John and Seraphina stood face to face in the empty classroom.
The air was thick with tension.
John felt like the entire world had just shattered around him. "I trusted you! And you went behind my back to dig up dirt on me!"
Seraphina looked up at him, tears flooding her eyes. "Ignoring you was the least I could've done."
The room violently flickered once more as she stared at him with burning blue irises. "You've thrown the school into a panic! You've hurt so many students! You're repeating everything you did at New Bostin! WAKE UP JOHN! IT'S TIME TO STOP!"
Everything broke into a fine static as all John could see was Seraphina standing there, almost seeming to hover above him. "Do you know who has been suffering the most from this whole Joker fiasco?"
She jabbed a thumb at herself as she yelled at him. "US! Low tiers and Mid tiers! The same people you wanted to help!"
The room faded away into a void as Seraphina yanked her arm away from him, striking him across the face as she meshed with Claire. "I SAID LET GO!"
The image of her crumbled away as John was left in darkness, finding it difficult to breathe.
.................................
John gasped for air. He felt like he had just been yanked out of water as he coughed and gasped.
He couldn't hear anything besides a faint ringing in his ears and he felt like everything was moving too slow. Looking up through blurry vision, three adults stood over him. He recognized Keon and Orion, one of the guards, but the third one was new; a woman. She was currently yelling and scolding Keon for something.
John eventually managed to hear what they were saying.
The mystery woman placed her hands on her hips. "What the hell Keon?! I said you could wear the kid down and break him, not send him into f*cking shock! We need him alive you idiot!" The man raised his hands slightly in defense. "I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting him to have such a bad reaction to the second session."
The woman sighed. "Well, it's obvious we now know what makes him tick."
John felt his body shake, not able to stop the salty liquid dripping down his face. The three adults looked at him as he tried to figure out who this mystery woman was.
She walked over to him, hat covering her head as she watched him with flaming eyes. The rest of her face was covered by a mask. "That's enough for today Keon. We're not getting anything out of him while he's like this."
The teen saw the man nod as John shut his eyes again, unable to stay awake.
Chapter 21: end.
A/N: Hehe! Hope you all enjoyed this extra long chapter.
Love ya guys! ^-^
-KittCat.