NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6: The Final Push
The boy wasn't the same person anymore. The new man who only came about due to the fusion of repressed memories and pain was quite literally watching his life through a new lens, and he did not like what he was seeing; not from himself nor others. He watched as he was beaten and broken by those who just happened to be born stronger than others. He watched as he gained his own powers, and turned all of his hate towards those who had wronged him and anyone else who questioned, leaving the only change to be found to be their positions. Claire had needed to bring their entire grade in order to face John, all in the hope of finally breaking through to him and showing the boy that he was no better than the people who'd broken him. His torture in the name of rehabilitation at the corrupt hands of the authorities flashed by as the pain he felt in his heart was finally acknowledged and accepted as something wrong others had done to him rather than something he deserved, when all he'd really needed was to let someone in. He saw what had been done to him at Wellston, and what he'd done in turn as disappointment flowed through his heart next to the old aches. He was happy when his best friend had managed to get through to him somewhat when she had tried to face him only to pass out as the fight was peaking. He was content with his decision to return home and look for help in his father's hard earned wisdom, and was happy when he had decided to come stay at Wellston for a while to continue offering his support. He raged along with his past self when his father had been torn apart, and vicious approval stabbed through him at the seemingly endless amount of targets that made themselves apparent in the army of monsters that tried to eat the people taking shelter in his school. He fought them back with more desperation than rage and had managed to hold out till morning which seemed to have saved them all before passing out in the arms of an inured Seraphina as the other battered royals watched on...
!
Seraphina! Where was she?!!?
Everything snapped into place for him and he was no longer a spectator but John once more. As he opened his eyes to the blank white void he was in and stared at the beautiful orb of light that was slowly dying out as he watched. He reached a hand out towards it, as it came closer and whispered one word in disbelief as he felt something he only knew from faded memories," Mom...?". John cradled the small light to his chest as he heard a woman's soft voice come through the orb... no... the fading collection of aura.
"John, I'm so so sorry... I have to go away now... Otherwise you and your dad won't be safe anymore... I have to take away your power.", the melodious voice he half remembered singing him to sleep as an infant stated to the utterly lost boy. "Not forever, but long enough for no one to notice your anything special and pass you by, for a time...I'm sure you'll hate me for this, and that's fine but if you ever do break through my seal... please... Please... Please! Be strong... Strong enough to fight for how you want to live your life. Be kind to others and use your strength to do great things. You don't have to be anything other than yourself as long as your happy! Don't be like your mother; too weak willed to fight back... to protect the most important thing in the world to her... Your father will show you how to stand tall without any kind of power, against people who the world worship as gods, and if the day comes you'll need your real strength... you'll be all the fiercer for it. I believe in you John... In your heart and in your love...they will guide you straight in this corrupt world...", the now crying boy finally recognized these words for what they were; a way to connect with her beloved son across time. He curled tighter to embrace the last of his mother's aura as he waited desperately for her next words.
"I will die soon.", the woman's statement hammered into the boy with its certainty as it continued. "I'm frail, too frail to contain this power of we both share, and people will want to take it from me before then. That's why I have to leave; to draw them away from you and your father...I wish I could stay here with you forever... but the world isn't kind, so I'll be brave this once and keep it from them. I'll leave you these final words... Be strong, John, strong enough to battle through your hardships. Be brave enough to see the people around you for what they are; your friends. Grow up and fall in love one day to start your own family. Love them John, love all of the people in your life and you'll never be lonely. And give me lots of grand kids to watch over please.", the woman's words lightened with the final few words into a teasing and teary lilt that broke the young man's heart as the white aura finally faded away in his hands. He was left there to replay the words again and again as he cried out for the injustice that had been done to his mother; the sacrifice she'd made in his name. For the suffering he'd silently endured for years. For the broken world built on power that he'd been born into. The void flashed black and white around him as he roared his pain for no on to hear as it turned back into the burnt gold of his aura as he slowly let the tears end and floated in an endless void of his own aura this time. He closed his eyes and allowed his numbness to sink into his very bones as he stayed still and silent for what felt like days before something caught his attention.
He heard a noise, as it echoed in the silent void and he tried to discern what it was meant to say only for it to come again even louder. This cycle repeated itself for a time until he finally understood the word and who had shouted it in fear and desperation.
"John!!!!", Sera's pain filled voice called out to him, and his luminescent eyes opened for the first time in four days, the entirety of his eyes seemingly made of burnt gold energy as he sprang off the bed and looked out of his window and into the midnight air, to see something that made his blood both freeze and boil in his veins in the full moons light. Sera on her knees before some kind of lion looking monster with a mane made of black energy, standing nearly two stories tall as it roared in victory. The lion gathered energy into its mouth for some kind of attack that had already devastated the area around them judging from the black flames and ditches carved around the two. The royals, Claire, and, Cecile were farther back, all looking as if they'd gone twelve rounds with John himself. They were all covered in burns and cuts and flat on their backs as Elaine ignored the blood pouring from the open burns covering her back to heal them.
John jumped through the open window, however he was quick to notice he was too far from anyone to copy any kind of ability. As he looked on in free fall at the people who needed his strength he remembered. What the abilities had felt like. Elaine's cool and soft healing. Arlo's proud and authoritative barriers. Zeke's heady phase shift. Isen's steady and focused hunter. He felt all of those abilities he remembered copying settle into his available slots for use and then felt another settle into a fifth and sixth notch, Remi's giddy lightning and Blyke's defiant energy discharge greeted him as he flinched in surprise at the new phenomena. 'I no longer needed to see an ability to copy it.", he realized as he finally hit the ground from the third story, "I just need to have seen it once and it's mine to use." He shook his head to clear the unnecessary thought andcharged up a laser to meet the monsters own attack which was heading towards Sera in a blazing roar and send it and the lion both flying away from his best friend as all present turned to him in shock that quickly turned into awe and relief as they met his new eyes. John kept his eyes on the monster as they finally met each others eyes; two apex predators meeting for the first time as everyone else watched on. The teen allowed his aura to flare and practically teleport to Sera's side before appearing next to Elaine as he healed them all of their wounds in an instant, all without taking his eyes away from his opponent.
"John...", Arlo finally said as he stared in shock at the king of Wellston. "What's happened to you." The former king said as he took in the aura manipulators new eyes and bits of white in his hair. The bandages had torn from his torso leaving his broad back and chest to the viewers to see the networks of muscle and scars that covered both. His defined and scarred muscles flexed and tensed in unconscious preparation for the battle that would decide who lived and died.
John's bare feet slowly carried him forward brushing his loose pant legs against the ground as he called out to them,"... Stay low..." before focusing all of his attention to the beast that now stood in wary silence.
'Can't go ten seconds without some kind of fight, huh?' the young man thought to himself as he prepared himself mentally and physically for what was looking to be the greatest fight of his life. He quickly brought all of his aura to the forefront of his soul and enhanced his copied abilities as far as he could. Phase shift increased his speed to its limits as barriers molded around his body to form black armor with bits of white highlights, softly spread throughout, to negate the weakness of not being able to enhance both defense and speed. Dozens of energy blades spread from his back to form fake feathers to fake wings the armor sprouted that quickly flapped and brought him off the ground; the energy feathers humming with power ready to be fired and pierce anything with their heat only to return and be fired again. Lightning began to course around him as hunter locked onto the power that the beast was exuding.
"Come.", the young man called to his opponent as his blank stare continued to be matched with wary black eyes, now mixed with small amounts of primal fear for the human the beasts instincts begged to flee from. The beast shook it's head and faced the human with its own roar of challenge for the newcomer.