Chapter Text
When Blyke finished washing his hands, he reached into his pocket, feeling something inside. He pulled out one of the amplifiers he'd gotten from Raddix when he was acting as Nobody.
He sighed and mentally kicked himself for even keeping it with him. He pondered turning in the stash to Headmaster Vaughn or Keene, but as he looked at the tiny vial, something in him froze.
With John constantly barraging the Safe House... maybe he could use this to protect everyone. He made a calculation in his head and figured he'd probably be around the same level as John if he did so.
As he walked back to the classroom in which the Safe House was located, he heard muffled commotion and got ready to open the door.
But he froze.
He reached back into his pocket and took out the vial, twisting the top to reveal a needle. Taking a deep breath, he put the needle to his forearm, wincing as it pierced his flesh and flooded the substance inside his aura channels.
His eyes shot open, filled with a golden glow. The energy surging within him... it was exhilarating. He opened the door and ran inside as John had a fist raised against Seraphina, ready to beat her down.
"You assh*le!" Blyke screamed, charging a powerful burst of energy in his hands, propelling the opponent high-tier to the side at breakneck speeds, the remaining energy being dispersed across the room, knocking everyone else away as well. "Get the f*ck out!"
John crashed through the window, his skin blackening as he channeled Zeke's ability's defensive form. He plummeted down to the ground, managing to break his fall with Blyke's ability, gracefully landing on the ground below.
"You again!" John shouted angrily.
Blyke huffed shakily, his hands trembling as more and more energy surged through him. He raised his arms, ten tiny beams forming at his finger tips. As he charged them up, each of them grew to about the size of a regular beam generated from just his palms.
He released the beams, aiming directly for John, who's eyes widened at the sight before him, since Blyke was definitely not that strong the last time they fought.
Blyke leaped down as the beams collided with John's defensive form, generating powerful waves of energy at his feet to slow his descent, punching John in the face with all his might, increasing the damage by creating a shockwave. This combination sent John hurtling backwards and crashing into the wall behind him.
The members of the Safe House watched in awe as Blyke was not only able to get hit after hit on John, but also manage to seemingly beat him.
Blyke didn't let up, running at John, jumping slightly and propelling himself forward with a shockwave. As he reached the high-tier, John caught his fist and flung him into the wall, pinning him to it.
"The f*ck is this!" John demanded, switching to offensive form to increase the pressure on Blyke, causing cracks to form behind him. "Did you actually think you could match me? How f*cking stupid are you? And where the hell did you learn all those new moves?"
Blyke stayed silent as a pulse of energy surrounded him, causing John's grip to release long enough for Blyke to blast him backward with a massive, long-charged beam that shredded through him and sent him flying back towards the campus.
Blood covered John's body, his edges of his sleeves and jacket shredded from the blast. He wiped his mouth and countered by charging up his own beam.
The red-haired high-tier, however, didn't allow him to charge it for long as he rocketed towards him with two massive balls of energy in his hands. He outstretched his hands, blasting forth two extremely powerful beams at John.
For the first time in a very long time, John felt afraid. He'd been frightened or concerned before, but this fear he felt. It was a fear of losing.He hated losing.
John switched to his offensive mode, dashing out of the way at incredible speeds which were only quickened by two black shockwaves forming at his palms.
His quick dodging resulted in the two beams shredding through the school, cracking the concrete and shaking the entire building. Gasps and cries of fear sounded throughout the Safe House and now crowds were gathering on other floors to see the fight play out.
"Haven't had enough?" John asked, taunting him. "After getting your ass kicked so many times, you still don't know when to quit."
"I won't lose to you again!" Blyke retorted, waves of energy surging around his body as he sent a controlled wave toward him, stumbling him and allowing Blyke to dash forward, throwing a fist into his stomach and sending him back with a shockwave.
John's mouth splattered with blood as he slid against the ground, tumbling backwards. Blyke stood over him, radiating with energy beyond anything John could have imagined.
Gritting his blood-stained teeth, John charged up a beam, only to freeze as he felt an even strong sensation wrap around him. A green aura surrounded both boys and hoisted them up into the air, pinning them to the outer wall of the school.
Vaughn and Keene entered the scene side-by-side. "That's enough, you two," Vaughn ordered as the two strained against his ability. "To my office.Both of you."
. . .
In his office, Vaughn turned to John, his arms crossed as the black-haired boy glared at him angrily, clenching his fists. "From now on, you are forbidden from attacking the Safe House," the Headmaster said.
John scoffed. "Of course you'd side with them," he grumbled, swinging his arm to gesture at Blyke next to him. "First, I'm not allowed to hurt the Royals, and now the Safe House is off limits. Even thoughthey'rethe ones who are plotting to take me down." He glanced at Blyke. "This one even hid his true strength from me just to do it."
Vaughn looked at Blyke, his arms still crossed. The redhead said nothing, only looking down at his feet, his head hung low.
Vaughn turned back to John. "Why do you think that is?"
"Because I'm an outcast," he declared. "They don't want someone like me as their King, so they're trying to get me out."
Vaughn shook his head. "John, it's not because you're an outcast. This is just a standard transition of power. Whenever a new King takes over, people will always be resistant. Being powerful has its advantages, but it isn't enough. You still have to prove yourself to everyone, and show that you're a trustworthy leader."
"Why should I have to prove anything?" John demanded. "They should be the ones trying to earnmyfavor!"
"And why is that?" Vaughn stepped closer to him. "What will you give them in return?"
John stared down the older man. "Doesn't matter. I owe themnothing."
Vaughn closed his eyes and sighed in exasperation. "In any case, John, my statement still stands. This is the last chance I'm giving you. Donotattack the Safe House again. Is that clear?"
John harumphed, stuffed his hands into his pocket, and left the room without another word, glaring at Blyke as he passed him, and slamming the door behind him.
Vaughn turned to Blyke next, still crossing his arms. "Keene tells me that he discovered a discarded and empty syringe on the floor outside the Safe House," he said, his voice calm and collected, which only sent a shiver down Blyke's spine. He felt the surge of energy inside him had faded and he already wanted more. "Care to tell me about it?"
Blyke's voice caught in his throat. "I—" His whole body trembled. All he could think about was the second vial of the amplifier still in his backpack. He needed another fix.Now. "I-I'm sorry, sir."
"Is that how you became so much stronger?" Vaughn questioned, placing a hand on Blyke's shoulder that caused him to start and tremble even more.
"Y-yes, sir," he stammered. "I-I... have been leaving the s-school at night. T-to pursue criminals in low-tier districts. I found these on one of the, the criminals a-and..." He drifted off, Vaughn staring down at him disappointedly.
"Feeling powerless, you decided to take it in hopes of winning against John," Vaughn finished his sentence for him. "First of all, do you realize the amount of danger you put yourself in? EMBER is out there trying to eliminate people like you."
"S-sir, I already quit," Blyke managed to get out. "And I-I already decided I'm never d-doing it again." In his mind, his thoughts were racing. More. He needed more. He needed to be stronger than John so he could beat him.
"That's irrelevant," Vaughn stated. "You snuck substances onto school grounds. Not only that, but you also took said substances in order to get an edge on your opponent. I have no choice but to punish you."
"I-I'll accept whatever punishment comes my way," Blyke replied, beginning to regain some sense of control over his mind. "B-but... I do have one request. The state of the Safe House will be very shaky from here on out, and I don't want to put that pressure on Remi alone. I-I know it's a lot to ask, but... would it be possible to delay my punishment until things stabilize?"
The room went silent for a moment. After some time, Vaughn finally spoke up. "No." Blyke's heart sank in his chest and his eyes widened. "I may have been more lenient with you if you had demonstrated some level of self-control," he added. "Since you not only snuck dangerous substances into this school, but also took them and used them, I cannot allow your punishment to go delayed. You will be indefinitely suspended, your parents will be called and informed, and the authorities must also be called. You will likely be taken in for readjustment."
Blyke gulped down his heart as sweat dripped from his forehead. He hung his head, fidgeting with the buttons on his coat. "Y-yes, sir," he mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I can see that you care about the Safe House quite a bit, though," Vaughn continued. "So, I'll tell you this, instead. If John causes anymore trouble for the Safe House, I will personally step in to stop him."
The redhead looked up at him, eyes filling with tears as he felt a stinging pang in his chest. His body physically required more of the amplifiers. "Th-thank you sir," he said. "I appreciate that."
Blyke returned to Isen's dorm room and slumped over onto the sheets and blankets that made up his bed on the floor. For a while, he simply sat there, curled up into a ball as he sobbed into his knees, unable to control the streams of tears from flooding out.
After some time, there was a soft knock at the door. He sat up and wiped his puffy eyes, and swallowed down the rest of his sadness, clearing his throat.
"Come in," he said hoarsely.
Remi opened the door and walked into the room, gazing down at her broken friend. His eyes were puffy and his clothes were wrinkled. He was trembling and there was a dead look in his eyes, as if a key part of him no longer existed.
The Blyke she knew before the fight was gone.
"We heard what happened," Remi said, her voice calm and soothing. In stark contrast, Isen stomped into the room, shoving past Remi and grabbing Blyke by the collar.
"What the f*ck were you thinking, Blyke!" he shouted in his face, causing Blyke to flinch in fear. "I thought you were done when you stopped being a vigilante, but now I hear that you stole the f*cking amps and then used them against John? Are you a goddamn psycho?" Isen's voice broke as he uttered the last word, tears welling up in his eyes. "I thought I got the point across the last time. You're my best friend, Blyke. I can't lose you, not to EMBER, and not to yourself." The tears fell as he spoke, loosening his grip on the collar of his shirt.
Remi stepped forward, tears streaming down her face as well. "He's right, Blyke," she choked out. "This is almost worse than losing you to EMBER."
Blyke couldn't bring himself to say anything, the tears he'd suppressed before to answer the door coming back and escaping.
Remi put a hand on Isen's shoulder. "Isen, can you give us a moment?" she asked. "Alone." Isen nodded without another word and left the room, shutting the door behind him.
Blyke forced himself to look up at her. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice shaking to hard that it was almost impossible to hear what he said. Remi knew, though.
She knelt down, wrapped her arms around him, and brought him into a tight hug. "I know," she answered, resting her chin on his shoulder, staining his jacket with her tears. "I know, and I forgive you. But how could you do this to us? Isen and I were so afraid when we found out you had gone out on your own to fight criminals. We can't take any more of this, Blyke."
"I know," he answered, burying his face into her neck, unable to look at her. "It's okay, though. Headmaster Vaughn is suspending me indefinitely and... it's likely the authorities are gonna take me away."
Remi's heart sunk at that. "The authorities...?" she questioned, breaking the hug and placing her hands on his shoulders so she could look at him. He avoided her gaze.
Remi took out her phone and texted Isen to let him know to come back in. He needed to hear this as well. A few heartbeats later, he opened the door and leaned against the frame.
"Yeah." He wiped his nose. "Vaughn said he would have to get them involved because of the drugs. He said they'd probably decide to take me to a readjustment facility."
"Wait a minute," Isen spoke up. "Readjustment? Seraphina was asking for information about how they deal with delinquent kids."
"Did you find anything?" Remi asked.
"Yeah," Isen said, his voice trembling. "And what I saw shook me to my core. Depending on who you get as an instructor, they use various methods to practically torture troubled kids into submission."
"Damn it," Blyke cursed under his breath. "Not looking forward to that. It's fine, though. If it will keep me from doing this kind of thing again, I'll take whatever punishment comes my way."
Remi looked at him with concern. "You can't seriously believe that, right?" She grabbed his chin and forced him to look up at him. "The authorities will do unspeakable things to you to punish you, and you're just... okay with that?"
Blyke tugged her hand away from his chest, and flung his arms outwards. "Rem, I don't have that stuff coursing through my veins anymore, and ithurts!" The tears came back as he clutched his chest. "I'm in pain because I don't have more of the amplifiers. I need it so badly, but I know that I can't get more. So, yeah, Remi, I'm okay with that, because I'll go throughhell and backas many times as I need to stop this pain!"
Remi didn't speak after that. It was hard to say anything back because... she didn't want to see him in pain either.
Isen, though, had no problem speaking up. "Blyke, I don't think you get it," he said, walking up to him and sitting on the edge of the bed. "The reason why John is so f*cked up, the reason why he came here as a cripple instead of as a high-tier, it's because of the sh*t they did to him at readjustment. Do you really want to become like John?"
Blyke lowered his head again. "If I don't have to suffer anymore... yes."
