Learning to be Strong Alone // Jeraphina Fanfiction

Prologue

"The beginning of
something bad,
is often when the
good things
end."
✂︎┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄

Third person POV

Holden dragged a shivering hand over his sweat-covered forehead, mouth gaping as he stared out at where his heroes' victory had been lost. "Joker, the new King of Wellston," he said with a shake in his normally well-composed voice, hand dropping to his side, still quaking with doubt.

Seraphina's half-lidded eyes started to water and her lips almost unnoticeably quivered as she stared emptily at the hall full of students who worried for the royals. Her knees lay to the ground, numb, but still feeling the harsh ridges of the tiled floor bumping at her skin.

"A-are you alright, Seraphina?" Evie asked, feeling concerned for the well-being of one of her closest friends. She was startled too, of course—horrified of what the Joker would now do in control.

Seraphina looked up at Evie's red eyes—full of sadness and worry, a gentle arm of hers wrapped tightly around her own.

Her quivering mouth opened to speak, drying out her tongue as words came to mind, "Do you know who . . . J-Joker is? Either of you?"

Holden slightly flinched at the question, confused at why she would ask such a thing, "Uh . . . n-no. I don't think anyone does," he spoke to her, tilting his head downward to meet her eyes, "Why do you ask?"

Not having his question answered, Seraphina stretched up her heavily shaking arm, "Can one of you help me stand? I need to go somewhere."

Her legs carried her down each step, a 'pat' occurring every time her shoe made contact to the cold, hard floor of the staircase, hand hovering past the metal bar that lay connected to the wall.

She skidded to a halt at the bottom, a loud squeaking noise echoing down the hall for all—if any—passing students to hear.

Everything was slowly settling into her clouded mind.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't push it out. No matter how much she didn't want it to be true...

John was really Joker...

Wasn't he?

She was now out of breath and tears were sitting at the edge of her eyes, but she had to keep going; she had to keep running through these empty halls to find him.

Her chest was tight—shallow breaths quickly coming in and out of her tensed lungs with each dreaded step she took.

Her eyes scrunched as the tears came closer, trying to hide herself from the reality she stood in. There was only one way to find out the full truth about Joker.

Confronting him directly.

.

.

"No more Royals."

"No more Hierarchy."

John looked at his wounds and sighed—bloodied clothes covering his aching self, hands all scratched and wounded, the laser wound still fresh in his arm. 'Guess I should get healed.'

He casually kicked Arlo's head one last time to check for any sign of consciousness that the blonde boy could have held.

No response.

Slowly, the new king stumbled his way from the battleground and into the school—each step set with a limp as he wandered through the halls.

The fight was over. He had won. There was nothing anyone could do about the turmoil he had caused.

It was finally done.

A smirk slowly crept its way to his face as he tugged off his mask—patches of dry blood clinging to the material of both his mask and uniform—red liquid leaking from the cloth.

He looked at it's bloodstained material for a moment.

Was all this struggle—all this sadness and strife worth just a smudge of temporary satisfaction?

Was losing everything worth it?

Well, he hasn't lost everything, and he hoped to never lose her, for he cherished her more than anything or anyone else that this lonely world had to offer.

A deep sigh once again left his parted lips, before he started to limp through the (luckily) empty halls—that was until he heard the skidding of shoes along the corridor.

The one thing he didn't want, the only thing he wished naught . . . it happened.

"JOHN!" the voice yelled, anger laced within the beautiful pitch.

John froze in place as the mask slipped from his hands and to the floor—making a barely audible thump spread through the building he stood in.

This was it.

All colour drew from Seraphina's face and her eyes widened as they fell to the mask laying on the floor, "It . . . is true. I-I still can't believe it."

"Ser—?" He turned quickly to the girl, looking for the smile he loved, only to be met with hair covering her eyes and frowning, pink lips gracing her paled face.

John had never seen her like this.

He'd never seen her so . . . broken.

The brave and strong school Ace, crying over a lost friend, just a mere boy—a known cripple at that.

My hand made it's way out to her, trying to console her in this state, "Sera, I—"

"No. Sh-shut up," her voice—full of tremor—retorted, harshly slapping my hand from her body. "Please don't talk to me, right now."

"B-But Sera..."

"I SAID BE QUIET! PLEASE, JOHN!!"

Seraphina looked up to the black-haired boy, and John could see the tears dripping freely down her stained cheeks and gently quivering chin.

That was enough to silence him.

Her face went into a sad smile, "I thought we were in this together, John. Having an ability? beating up the rest of my friends? How does that make us 'in this together'?!" she yelled.

"I-I'm sorry for lying Ser—"

"Don't 'Sera' me, and don't be sorry you lied..."

John slightly tilted his head, confused at the girl's sudden change of mood-change of words, but Seraphina just looked him dead in the eyes.

"I believed you, so it's my fault."

517 words
Edited: 975

Thank you for reading! <3