Not Ready To Change

Prologue

Wellston Private High School:

Courtyard-

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Another day at Wellston, another fight between the King and the former Royals.

John had been on a downturn for some time now, but he was slowly beginning to fall back into how he was at New Bostin. Standing at the top, alone, John was certainly finding his groove again as the sole monarch of yet another school.

His friendship with Seraphina, or whatever it had become, was almost entirely faded as she had, from the outside, seemed to move onto business beyond the high school.

He had no idea what, or why... But he did not care, either.

Every time he saw Seraphina he could only see the crying face of Claire. Every time he saw the former royals, he saw a group conspiring against him. Each time he learned of the safe house, he found himself wrapped in anger because the world was moving on despite their shortcomings.

Now the day had come where he would clean the slate. Either by him being removed by Vaughn, or finally sending a clear enough message to dissolve whatever Remi had created.

John was right in the middle of his assault on Arlo's barrier when he felt a familiar, yet long-forgotten aura behind him. In the quickest of moments, his opponents vanished, leaving him bewildered and with new information as to what was truly happening before his eyes.

A glowing-eyed Seraphina stood, high and mighty as she once was, protecting a battered Arlo and Remi from their aggressor.

She ushered for them to leave while announcing to John that it was time to talk. She laid her eyes on the blue-haired snake, Zeke, demanding for him to leave.

Taking no time, he did.

Seraphina turned her attention back to John, the King, recognizing someone who had a long, hard background. Someone who was hurting, hurt, and wanting to hurt others.

John only saw red. A friend he once held so high, that he would do anything for, now facing him down as did another in New Bostin.

She may as well have been that entire army and Claire all in one, she was more than powerful, more than cunning.

But, he was not going down.

Seraphina did not swing first, John did. Sending waves of electrified spikes from a combination of abilities, he rose his barrier and stood his ground.

'She wants a fight, she'll get one...' Was all John thought.

The fight proceeded, arguing could be heard from both sides. Seraphina was quite frankly never going to give up on John, no matter the outcome. She knew what he had done for her behind her back, just as well as she knew what he kept from her.

He may have broken her heart, but not to the point of no return. A stronger feeling drove her to the resolve of bringing him back than that of her disdain for his actions.

For John, his feelings for Seraphina were strong, but his anger and the power of the past held him down. The difference is that he embraced it over the past weeks. It engulfed him. He did not see his younger self as a villain anymore, but as himself.

The hard exterior was protecting a lifestyle that he had left behind during readjustment, but now it was back, and here to stay.

The fight progressed. John was taking consistent damage and not dealing anything back directly to Seraphina. He was unable to hit her, and unable to copy her ability to the same level she was.

'I'm losing...' He thought. 'She is going to break through eventually if I don't come up with something!'

Meanwhile, Seraphina was working on him with words and actions.

'It's working!' She thought. 'His barrier will fall and he will have to talk, to listen!'

As Seraphina was continuing her dodges and attacks, John realized what he should do.

He remembered a certain blonde asshole and how he would use his barrier to trap his victims and immobilize them.

'It's a gamble,' John thought. 'But my only chance beat her.'

John closed his eyes as he watched Seraphina begin her sprint at his barrier. But instead of letting her make contact, or use this as an opportunity to attack back, he let it down.

Seraphina instantly noticed this, but could not stop herself as she flew at high speeds towards John, fist extended.

John readied himself in that split second, hoping that whatever defense he still had would hold out against a direct hit.

Contact.

Wide-eyed, Seraphina was powerless to watch as John literally flew back from the unblocked hit.

Normally, John would have dodged, blocked, or handled such a hit much better, but to sell the act he had to take one for the team.

John, barely recovering, raised his barrier, which was somehow in better condition than himself, and began to shrink it around Seraphina.

Before she could react, John sent vines to hold her arms from swinging again.

He had caged her like a bird, electrifying the barrier and holding her in place with vines. Seraphina was lost and could not believe what was happening before her.

'Why...' She thought. 'Why is he fighting so hard!'

"JOHN!" Seraphina yelled. "STOP FIGHTING!"

John felt remorse for his actions. He knew he was going to win no matter what now, but that all he had done in the process was prove Claire right.

Seraphina could see John having an internal battle. His eyes were glassy, but he was unable to allow himself to break free.

John resolved himself and spoke.

"I told you Seraphina!" He began. "YOU ARE MY ENEMY!"

John gathered himself. Staggering from the hit. He walked up to the barrier which was now low to the ground keeping Seraphina in one position so she could not fight back.

"We're done here... This war has just begun and this school still belongs to me," he concluded.

"JOHN!" Seraphina shouted. "THIS ISN'T YOU! IT WAS NEVER FAKE!"

"I know," said John.

'I need to try harder...' Seraphina thought.

"I'm not done with you, John!" She shouted.

John shook his head.

'That's enough for today,' he thought.

Keeping his ability active, John left the scene. Only deactivating when he reached a safe enough distance. One where he could no longer see Seraphina since it was breaking his heart moment by moment.

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Hello! I felt like writing this concept into a short to medium length story to see where it goes since I feel that this is a valid AU for Unordinary. We saw Valarie do the same thing to Seraphina, and she is objectively weaker than John.

I wanted to explore the King John arc further than it was and continue it into something else with the events of the story. Let's see where it goes.

-John